


And so, Death rose once more

by Amaru_Katari, OhHamilton



Series: A Blade Over My Head [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Anal Sex, Biting, Blood Drinking, F/M, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Harry Potter Leaves the Wizarding World, Harry and Ginny are only referenced as a couple, Lots of hot sex with randoms, M/M, Magical Tattoos, Master of Death Harry Potter, Mates, Mpreg, Not Epilogue Compliant, Oral Sex, Ron Weasley Bashing, Sex, Suicide Attempt, World Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-01-25 16:10:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18577942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaru_Katari/pseuds/Amaru_Katari, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhHamilton/pseuds/OhHamilton
Summary: At the request of my commenters? followers? very patient readers? I have created an alternate ending to A Blade Over My Head where Harry and Jasper have a baby.The original summary: Harry has just defeated Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts. Wandering the school in a daze, he overhears something he is not meant to and flee's the wizarding world with the help of an unexpected friend. This is a story about Harry traveling the world, finding himself and eventually stumbling across his mate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In the original version, this fic picks up at Chapter 26 of A Blade Over My Head where at the end I confirm Harry's inability to bear children as the Master of Death. Instead, in this version, he finds out he is already knocked up!! In this, it is part the way through Chapter 10 that the story diverges. The first 10 chapters are pretty much the same as ABOMY but compressed and without the song lyrics/soundtrack.
> 
> I want to do a massive shout out to my Beta and Muse, Besiegen without whom, this version wouldn't have been made.

Voldemort is dead.

The Battle at Hogwarts had just ended. He had killed. Had killed Voldemort. He knew that people expected him to be proud, to be happy, but all he was, was numb.

His feet carried him restlessly through the castle, pacing through endless corridors, lost in his own thoughts, emotions in turmoil. He was relieved it was all over, sad he had been required to murder to achieve it. Vengeance had never been something he wanted, but the expectations of everyone had pushed him to it.

His thoughts were like treacle, oozing between his fingers. Flashes of memory cropping up before fading away. While the past nine months on the run had been frustrating, he had never felt as clear-headed, never felt as removed from his anger before. He could feel something was there, some important thought that lay beneath that he could not grasp.

A flash of red ran over his mind's eye and he struggled. A part of him thought of Ginny with affection, love, desire, telling him to go to her and begin their lives together. Another screamed and railed at the thought. She looked so much like his mother, their personalities so similar. It seemed wrong to him to be attracted to someone who was so like a woman he had never known. The twisting in his gut warred with the arousal that manifested every time he thought of her.

Pushing it aside, he thought of his friends, of how Hermione had stood by him through everything. Of how Ron had left. He could feel a pull when he thought of Ron, a whisper in his mind saying the other boy was trustworthy.

Voices, there were voices around the corner at the end of the hall. Unwilling to deal with whoever it was, but equally unwilling to change his route, he slipped his cloak out of his pocket, throwing it around his shoulders. Quickly, he cast a silencing charm at his feet so he could sneak by.

“… Where is he?! You were supposed to keep track of him, Ron! Not be worrying about getting your dick wet.” Ginny’s harsh whisper penetrated his thoughts and he froze.

“Oi! It’s not my fault! He’s supposed to be your problem now Gin. I kept him in line while we were on the run. It’s your job now to wrangle the prick. He fights everything! I had to keep increasing the dosages just to keep him under the thumb. If you’ve lost him already, mum will be pissed.” Ron’s whiny tone cut back as Harry began shuffling forward to peer around the corner.

“Don’t you take that tone with me, Ronald. We have to work together! Dumbledore promised us that if he survived the battle, that the marriage contract would kick in and we could get at his fortune. Now, do you have that blasted map or not? We can use it to find him.”

Sickness coiled in his stomach. He had heard enough to know something was very wrong in his life. He needed to get out and get out now.

Considering his options, he began making his way back towards the great hall. He had Voldemort’s wand as well as Draco Malfoys. The blonde had helped him, so deserved to get his wand back, but how? Harry also needed his things, which were with Hermione. Picking up the pace, he silently trotted into the hall and cast around for the bushy brunette. Spotting her off by the mourning Weasley’s, he snuck up behind her. With a light _confundus_ , he took her beaded bag and slipped back out.

Casting off caution, once he was outside the great hall, he began running for the ward line knowing he was running out of time before someone noticed him missing.

Gringotts. At the very least he could get some money together to run. No one would expect him to go to the goblins, so that would be where he went next. He could hear a commotion behind him as he hit the wards. He turned to apparate away and saw a flood of people pouring out of the castle, running towards him. With a crack, he disappeared long before anyone else could reach him.

Harry appeared at the entrance to Diagon Alley with a crack. He quickly checked to ensure that his cloak was still tucked tight around him before hurrying towards the white marble building that dominated the space.

Slipping in, he made his way to an empty desk, tapping on the front to draw the attention of the goblin sitting behind it. The goblin glanced up and scowled at where Harry stood. He flicked his cloak aside to reveal his face before hiding again.

“I would like to withdraw funds from my account.” Harry’s disembodied voice floated out.

The goblins frown deepened. “Mr Potter, have you not come to meet with your account manager? We have been endeavouring to communicate with you for years to discuss your inheritance and the state of your investments and properties.”

Harry swallowed, thinking fast. “Yes, of course, I’m here for the meeting. When was it again? Can I meet with my account manager now?”

The goblin bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. “Right this way Mr Potter.”

Harry was led into the depths of the bank, following until finally, they reached a large red door set into pale marble walls. A glare from the goblin froze him in place, while the other slipped into the room closing the door firmly behind him. A few minutes passed with Harry nervously shifting from one foot to the other before the door was yanked back open again and he was ushered into a traditional office. Generic artworks were scattered over the walls, the carpet was plush and neutral under his feet, the furniture was dark timber and leather.

The goblin seated behind the desk was flipping through paperwork and didn’t look up at his entrance, only gestured to the seat in front of the desk. Harry slipped off the cloak and sat, hearing the snick of the door closing behind him. Finally, the goblin finished rifling through the paperwork and looked up.

Harry blinked in surprise, he blurted “Griphook?” before his brain caught up, but when it did, he flushed and looked away.

“Yes, Mr Potter. I am your account manager. Why have you been ignoring my owls?” Griphook steepled his fingers, peering over them at the boy in front of him.

“I never got any owls? I’m sorry, I just need some money, I have to get out.” Harry rushed out.

It was Griphooks turn to blink in surprise. Humming, he flipped through a few sheaves of parchment. “Well, that does explain things. First of all, Mr Potter, you are entitled to quite a hefty inheritance, including large amounts of money, properties and investments. If you have the time now, we can review what is available to you. From there, perhaps we can formulate a plan on what shall happen next. If you desire to leave London, I will be able to assist with that.”

Harry couldn’t help fidgeting. “But they will find me.” He hissed. “They will know I’m here. I can’t stay long.”

The goblin's eyes narrowed, and he fully focused on the filthy, distressed youth in front of him. “No one will disturb us here Mr Potter. Perhaps you can detail what has occurred so that I may assist?”

“Um… well… I’m not sure where to start.”

“Perhaps what happened after you broke out of Gringotts, taking our dragon with you?” The Goblin’s tone was light, but Harry still flushed and mumbled out an apology.

“After stealing one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes from the Lestrange vault and escaping, I had a vision of sorts that Voldemort’s last Horcrux was at Hogwarts, so we went there and destroyed it. I had to watch as Voldemort murdered Snape who gave me his memories where I found out I was also a Horcrux and went to meet Voldemort so he would kill me. I came back to life and Neville killed Nagini who was Voldemort’s last Horcrux. I then made my presence known and battled Voldemort, eventually killing him. After that, I was wandering the halls of the school thinking when I stumbled across Ron and Ginny who were bickering as always. But what they were talking about…” He trailed off, looking horrified, completely missing the slightly bewildered expression on the goblins’ face at the influx of information.

“Ginny was reprimanding Ron for not keeping good enough track of someone, from the context they were talking about me. Ron then said I was now her problem and he complained about how much trouble he had keeping me under the thumb, how I kept fighting ‘everything’ and that he had to increase the dosages. Ginny then got angry back at him, talking about how Dumbledore promised them my money and how there is a marriage contract in effect, but I never agreed to any of that. After that I ran here, thinking to take whatever money I have left and disappear into the muggle world.”

Harry was almost panting by the time he finished, the information pouring out in a rush.

“Allow me to confirm a few things with you, Mr Potter.” At Harry’s nod, the goblin continued. “You stole a Horcrux belonging to the Dark Lord known as Voldemort from the Lestrange vault and took it with you to Hogwarts where you found and destroyed a further two Horcruxes. You also willingly went to your death to destroy a Horcrux Severus Snape told you was attached to you.”

Harry nodded slowly again.

“You then overheard a conversation between Ginevra Weasley and Ronald Weasley most likely discussing you, your vaults and the possible potioning of your person.”

Harry nodded again.

Griphook lent back in his chair and massaged his temples. “I am going to arrange for a healer to attend you immediately to investigate the possibility of your potioning. You can confirm the destruction of the Dark Lord who calls himself Voldemort?”

Harry nodded and opened his mouth to reply but the goblin cut him off. “We are going to review your accounts and portfolios while we wait for the healer and from there, we will develop a plan that will allow you to escape London if that is what you desire.”

Harry exhaled heavily in relief. “Yes, thank you.”

The goblin scribbled some instructions on a piece of parchment and launched it into the air, it soon disappeared out of the room. Griphook then passed over a bundle of papers to the dark-haired youth.

“Your current accounts. As you can see, you have quite ample funds at your disposal. Your trust account is nearly depleted, but that is to be expected as it is only designed to last you through your schooling years.” Harry could only peruse the documents with awe, he never expected to see so many galleons in his life.

“One of the things that happens when both parents die and an underage Heir is left, is that all accounts, properties and investments are frozen. This is both a blessing and a curse. Over the years, Dumbledore has tried to access your accounts using his position as your magical guardian as an excuse. We were required to refuse him access.

“Unfortunately, it meant that no one could touch any of the investments in place when your parents died and as such, they are in a bit of a state of disarray. Many of your properties also require renovations and repairs for them to be viable for habitation in any form.”

The goblin handed over more sheaves of parchment as he explained the situation. The pair settled in and a tea service appeared as they began discussing the best and easiest course of action on how to repair the outdated investment portfolio. Griphook was very familiar with it and wanted to take an aggressive approach. The only request Harry made was that his partnership with Weasley Wizarding Wheezes be investigated. If they were found to be duplicitous, his funds would be called in, if not, he was happy for the goblin to continue supporting the twins in his name. Otherwise, Harry was content to generally sign over control of the investment portfolio.

Griphook was making extensive notes as they spoke, planning what to change and what to keep. He was pleased to hear that the boy had invested in the Weasley twins, he had a feeling they were unaware of their younger siblings’ antics. He had wanted to invest in the business, but the goblin council wouldn’t hear of it, and most families with money were unwilling to provide assistance. He had been more than pleased when the shop had been set up without assistance. 

The only issue he kept returning to was how to communicate with the boy while he was out travelling. The boy was adamant about leaving London and Griphook couldn’t blame him. Then he remembered a new product that was being trialled with some of their clients that could do the trick.

Next, they moved onto the properties and Harry was delighted to discover that there was a variety of them scattered across the globe. When Griphook mentioned them needing to be assessed and repairs coordinated, he immediately volunteered. It would be perfect, he could travel, see the world, and he would have a purpose while he did it. He had always been handy at the Dursleys, surely, he could figure it out.

Their conversation about the current state of his assets wound down.

Griphook set down the papers he was holding. “Mr Potter, I have some experimental products which I believe may be of some assistance. If you will give me a moment, I can gather them and show them to you.”

Just as he was rising, there was a knock at the door before a woman in green robes entered.

“You called for a healer?” The woman queried, her bag tucked in one hand.

“Perfect timing. I was just about to step out to gather some items. Mr Potter here requires a full deep scan. We believe there is a possibility he has been under the influence of potions without his consent.” Without waiting for a response, the goblin departed.

The healer took a few moments to process the statement before shaking herself, metaphorically rolling up her sleeves and striding over.

“Alright, Mr Potter, please stand. I will cast some diagnostics on you now.”

She set her bag down on the desk, fishing out a tablet and tapping it with her wand. It lit up and she began waving her wand distractedly at Harry, muttering Latin under her breath too fast for him to follow. She didn’t even look at him, her eyes tracking over the tablet. As the minutes wore on, her frown deepened, a crease forming between her eyebrows until finally she stopped and tucked her wand away.

With a sigh, she finally looked at him, sadness shining in her eyes. “I am sorry Mr Potter, that no one noticed before now what was going on with you. Your potions regimen will need to be extensive to rectify the damage done to your system. Thankfully, with the right potions, exercise and diet, we can put you back the way you should be.”

She began writing out detailed instructions onto some parchment pulled from her bag before eventually handing it over to Harry. He reviewed it while she waited to see if he had any questions.

“I am planning on travelling. It is unlikely I will be able to access potions regularly.”

“When you go to the apothecary to purchase the listed potions, you can request a trunk to keep your potions vials in, when they empty, simply put them back in the trunk and they will refill. Gringotts can set up a direct debit with the apothecary so you don’t have to worry at all. If that is all?” She queried, at Harry’s shake of the head, she nodded and left.

Harry sat down, reviewing the extensive instructions and couldn’t suppress the hope that he might actually have a growth spurt and be able to eat more in a single sitting than a bird. Finally, Griphook returned with a tray, setting it down on his desk.

First, he handed over a mobile phone, it was bulky and ugly but as Griphook began to explain how it worked and how they had augmented it with magic he couldn’t help but be impressed. It would provide them with the ability to communicate irrespective of where he was in the world. Next, he was handed a vial of water with a little yellow fish in it. Griphook explained this was called a babel fish, it would translate any language into one he understood, when coupled with a charm he cast on himself, he would be able to travel anywhere and fit right in.

Finally, he was handed a wrist cuff with different icons around the metal band. Each icon would glamour a different aspect of his appearance; hair colour, eye colour, skin tone, voice. With a grin he wrapped it around his wrist and started cycling through the different options until Griphook nodded, assuring him he looked completely different.

Griphook then instructed him on how to find a luggage specialist in the alley who would be able to provide him with a specialist backpack to take with him on his journeys. He also slid over a pendant on a chain, explaining it was a portkey linked to the property list, all he had to do was say which location he wanted to go to and ‘Portus’ and off he would go.

“One last thing Mr Potter before we go and set up a magical version of a debit card for you to use around the world, I wanted to ask what you want to be done with Godrics Hollow.”

Harry couldn’t help but flinch at the memory of the dilapidated house. “Tear it down. The war is over, there are other ways to commemorate it. Build an orphanage for magical children or something. Name it after my mother. Find someone to work with you on it. I don’t really care. If there is anything left in the house, just chuck it in a vault.”

Griphook nodded and lead the way to the front of the bank where they set him up with a card and off Harry went to collect his bag, potions and other supplies. He pushed aside his feelings of pain and hurt as he shopped, focusing on taking each step. He knew everything would come crashing down once he stopped but wanted to put it off until he had escaped.

He tugged out the list to review his options. He had to get out of the UK, so England and Scotland were out. Perhaps France would work…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 - Chapter 5

_ France – Paris (Ile Saint Louis) _

Harry was standing on the hidden penthouse of the Hotel des Deux Isles. Apparently, the house had belonged to the Potters long before it had been opened to the public and while most of it was accessible, the top floor was warded to the hilt and was wizarding only. While some of the floor was in reasonable condition, a surprising amount of it was dilapidated as no one had been able to get in since his parents had died.

He looked across the water at the old city spread out before him and finally allowed the rage and hurt wash over him.

He had been betrayed by those he considered family.

His heart was torn to shreds as he screamed his pain into the night, knuckles tight and white on the crumbling stone balustrade.

He was bleeding on the inside, hadn’t stopped since long before the Battle of Hogwarts.

He was empty, bereft, alone in this world.

Loss and loneliness drowned him, and he gasped out his pain.

Eventually, he slumped over, weeping against his hands as he felt grief roll over him.

So many had died and for what?

He no longer knew who to trust, who had been a friend and who had not.

He raged against the injustice of the world, his needs had always been pushed aside, others placed before and above him.

No longer would he stand for it, no longer would he allow others in only to take advantage of his kindness.

They had wanted to steal his parent’s legacy to him, deprive him of choice and will, all for what? Money? He scoffed.

It was always the way that those who had, never appreciated it. All he had ever wanted was a family to call his own, but all they had wanted was his money.

At least now he knew it had all been a lie, knew that he could no longer depend on another for his self-worth.

He would walk through this world alone, shielding himself from others and their greed.

Never again would he wear his face. Harry Potter, as the wizarding world knew him, died at the Battle of Hogwarts. From now on, he would be Harry Evans. A nobody, a simple labourer being sent on an errand by some rich mogul.

Eventually, he exhausted himself and sank onto the bed next to his bag and potions trunk. He flipped the latch, locating the one-off potion the healer said he would need to take first. It was a cleansing potion that would strip everything foreign from his system, leaving him with a clean slate on which to begin repairing and rebuilding his body.

Throwing back the potion, he choked, stomach immediately roiling. His whole body broke out in a sweat as he ran to the bathroom, sprawling on the tiles in front of the toilet just in time to throw his head over the edge and heave what felt like everything he had ever eaten up. The sludge pouring out of him was multicoloured and tasted like every awful thing he had ever consumed. His whole body shuddered, sweat turning indigo as more potions were rejected from his body.

Finally, he stopped heaving and collapsed onto the cool tiles, sleep claiming him as the potion continued its work.

*****

The next day he woke up and set to work, cataloguing all the damage and the repairs needed. He pulled out the books on magical repair he had purchased in Diagon Alley and got to it, losing himself in the work. He felt cleansed and clear-headed for the first time in his life. Magic wasn’t a struggle anymore, he almost didn’t have to say any spells, his will enough to harness what he wanted.

That morning he had awoken and ventured forth, finding a local patisserie to get himself a coffee and breakfast. It had been such a relief to not be noticed or questioned. The babel fish had worked perfectly, as had the ATM card.

Days slipped by as he worked steadily through the property, he made friends with the local barista. His evenings he allowed his sorrows to consume him, each day waking and feeling lighter, ready to face the rest of his life without the previous pain that had coloured his days prior.

*****

_ Romania – Lost in the Carpathian Mountains _

He had spent six months in Paris, letting Griphook know that the apartment was ready to be let to visiting wizards and witches. The goblin had updated him, advising that the investment portfolio was responding well and that the land at Godrics Hollow had been cleared. He had found several investors who were interested in the orphanage. The Twins had proven trustworthy and so Griphook was using them whenever he needed a face in the wizarding world.

From there he had gone to Stockholm where an old building in Gamla Stan desperately needed updating and renovation from top to bottom. A year had slipped by while he had been hip-deep in Swedish architecture and culture.

Griphook had called a couple of times, seeking his opinion on new investments and dumping shares on others. With a grin, Harry suggested Griphook purchase majority shares in Grunnings, asking only that his uncle be fired and run out of town. He could almost hear the grin in the goblins voice when he agreed. The orphanage was progressing well and the search for him was ongoing.

He saw out the New Year in Stockholm, moving to Cologne in Germany in early 2000. The property had been layered in stasis charms so it only needed three months of work. Harry decided to take his time, drinking in the culture, making a few friends, but when they started asking questions, it was time for him to leave.

Now he was in a castle, in the middle of nowhere lost in the Carpathians. Night had fallen and he was on the rooftop, drinking in the stars, relishing in the quiet solitude.

He had finished reviewing the impressive castle today. It was crumbling in places, but he had the idea that it would make an excellent hotel. It could perhaps be popular with creatures and the like. A way to get away from it all. Perhaps Griphook could organise for the staff to be populated with creatures and sympathisers, those who needed a second chance, a way to get away from the prejudice.

In his time away from the UK, he had found that the prejudice was prevalent around the wizarding world, just not as bad.

With a sigh, he dragged himself up and stumbled to bed, falling asleep easily. The next day he began planning, sketching out his thoughts and ideas before calling Griphook to discuss his options.

While he could complete the work on his own, it would take him a couple of years, which he wasn’t willing to sacrifice in the middle of nowhere. It was time to call in reinforcements.

Soon the castle was populated with a dozen magical contractors and they spent six months overhauling the place from top to bottom, turning it into a lavish hotel that Griphook was only too happy to begin advertising for him. Harry relished the comradery of the construction team, they worked well together. This was lucky as they were stuck in isolation and close quarters for six whole months.

They soon learnt not to ask Harry about his past, instead, they included him in their evenings spent sitting around drinking vodka and sharing stories. The friendships were easy, unassuming, a wholly different experience to anything he had had before. It made him crave… something. He wasn’t quite sure yet what was missing, but over the months it dawned on him. Affection. Companionship. He was still, unfortunately, a virgin, perhaps in the next place he visited, it would be time to change that.

*****

_ Greece - Mykonos _

He had settled into the beachside property the portkey had taken him to and something had called to him to venture forth and find some company his age.

He had wandered along the main strip, listening to the music until the American pub had tugged at him. It was full of backpackers and uni students. The music was warm and earthy. He made his way to the bar, ordering a beer and lent back to watch the dance floor. It was still relatively early in the evening so there were small clusters of people half-heartedly dancing. Not enough darkness or alcohol left too many inhibitions intact.

The warmth of the evening wrapped around him, cocooning his heart and body. He had grown over the years, reaching that growth spurt and putting on a generous amount of muscle from the hard labour involved in renovating properties. The potions regime had fixed the neglect his body had suffered in its formative years, much to his satisfaction.

He continued drinking until the dancefloor was full, finally standing and wending his way through the writhing bodies. The shifting mass welcomed him and soon, he lost himself to the rhythm of the music, beat pulsing through his chest.

He didn’t even realise his eyes were closed until they snapped open, feeling a body pressed close to his front. He looked down into a pair of the bluest eyes he had ever seen. Rich black hair tumbled over shoulders that were bare. Lush pink lips smiled up at him as hands tracked up his chest.

He smiled down at the girl grinding against him and wrapped his arms around her waist. Giving himself over to the moment, they danced. Sweaty bodies flush, writhing, grinding, touching.

Soon she stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips, alcohol numbing any reservations he had.

They were stumbling hand in hand down the street, giggling and pausing to kiss. Sharing swigs from the bottle of vodka he had purchased from the bar. Staggering through the front door, he pressed her against the wall, lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist. Carrying her through to the bedroom, they tumbled down together. He pulled away for a moment to check her eyes, she was drunk enough not to notice a little magic, but not so far gone to remove consent.

With a mischievous grin, he banished their clothes while kissing her silly.

She moaned loudly, arching into him, her hand slipping down his abdomen to grasp his aching cock. Without warning or preamble, she angled him and slid him home. Her heels locked together behind his arse pulled him forwards so that he was fully seated before he knew what was happening.

Blinking in surprise, he quickly cast protective charms over the both of them that he had learnt from the boys while in the Carpathians.

While he had been distracted, she had begun fucking herself on his cock, moaning and whining impatiently. Roughly at first, he began mimicking her movements but soon settled into a steady rhythm that had her writhing beneath him. He marvelled at how wet and warm she was wrapped around his cock. He dropped gentle bites and kisses along the exposed column of her throat, repeating whatever caused her to moan louder.

As he continued thrusting, he felt her hand snake down between them and begin moving between their pelvis’. Rising up onto his hands, he looked down to see what she was doing and realised she was playing with herself. Rearing up, he gripped her hips as he fucked her and watched her hand work, tracking the movements until he found the pattern.

Batting her hand away, he replaced it with his own, mimicking the movements much to the woman’s enjoyment if her increased moaning was any indication. It took him a little while to coordinate the conflicting motions of pounding into her while working at her clit, but he seemed to get the hang of it.

Her begging and crying encouraged him to work harder and faster, soon tipping her over the edge. The rippling muscles encasing him shoved him over too, coming with a shout and a judder.

The pair collapsed, panting and allowed the alcoholic haze to pull them into sleep.

*****

There hadn’t been too much damage to the beach house on the island, but he had still spent a pleasurable three months pottering about and working on his tan. The girl he had slept with on the first night was called Selene, and when he had explained that he was relatively inexperienced, had taken it upon herself to give him a crash course in how to pleasure a woman. He had been an apt student, applying himself to the lessons with a vigour she certainly appreciated.

Unfortunately for her, she started asking questions about who he was and where he came from. He finalised what repairs were required, saw out the New Year and left without warning, only contacting Griphook to let him know the house had been finished once he was settled in Istanbul.

The property at Istanbul definitely needed modernisation though the base structure was sound. He spent a couple of months working on the bigger issues before venturing forth and finding himself a new companion to entertain himself with. Ezra had been quite lovely with hazel eyes and auburn hair, but she, just like Selene, began asking questions and Harry left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 - Chapter 7

_ Russia – St Petersburg (Petergof) _

He had arrived in Russia to a deluge of water. Instead of rushing inside, he stopped and simply relished in the cleansing moment. He could feel the rain soaking through his clothes, trickling down his spine, flattening his hair. He lifted his arms, holding them out and savoured the feel of droplets on his fingertips, the cool caress invigorating.

Never had he had the chance to enjoy something as simple as the rain. Everyone was always in such a hurry to get out of it that no one appreciated its life-giving nature.

Tilting his head back, he couldn’t help the reflexive nose scrunch that came from being hit with droplets. The water slid over his scalp like a lovers caress, trickling down his throat, pattering over his eyes and lips.

He couldn’t help poking out his tongue, chuckling to himself at the childishness all the while savouring the taste of fresh, untainted rainwater.

He lost track of how long he stood in the rain, but it was the water seeping into his boots that finally triggered him to move inside. As much as he loved the moment, wet feet were not on his agenda.

He had just recently spoken to Griphook before coming to St Petersburg. Apparently, the orphanage was fully established, many muggle-born and half-blood witches and wizards were being rescued from abusive homes. Hermione had begun heading a child services section of the ministry, forcing the wizarding public of Britain to take responsibility for the forgotten children.

His hotel in the Carpathians was shaping up to be quite popular with creatures, there was nothing like it in the world and so those with nothing had flocked to work there when offered fair working conditions. Those from around the world with money began using it as a holiday destination, revelling in the freedom to simply be their true selves away from the wizarding public that so looked down upon them.

The Twins had bought out Zonkos, appropriating their shop spaces and revitalising the joke industry with their wacky and creative ideas. Griphook had been practically salivating at the return on investment Harry was getting.

The search for Harry had petered off. The Weasleys had spent a year trying to get access to his vaults through the Wizengamot, citing his death and the marriage contract as reasonable grounds. The goblins had refused all requests. Stating that until his death was proven, everything was on lockdown.

Griphook commented that the Twins and Hermione seemed to be suspicious of the goblins, realising quickly that Griphook was acting on Harry’s behalf but didn’t say anything to anyone else.

The relief that those three had not been privy to his betrayal was nice, but remote at this point. He had little to no intention of ever returning to London and only hoped that the wizarding world would allow him to fade into obscurity. Regardless, they seemed too busy cleaning house to worry about tracking down one missing wizard so Harry could only count his blessings.

The Russian property was a travesty, horrendous besser blocks for walls, painfully functional décor. Harry travelled a little, taking in the sights and decided to hire a local architect to design a magnificent boutique hotel instead of fixing up the existing monstrosity. It spent six months in the planning, having to pass both magical and muggle regulations. Soon, the old building was demolished, and work progressed. Harry relegating himself to a project management role instead of being hands-on like in the Carpathians. He had an itch that he wanted to scratch and being exhausted from working hard all day as a labourer did not tie in with his plans.

He met Sasha at a dance club a few months after repairs had begun. He had opted to rent a flat nearby until the hotel was liveable and was grateful when Sasha was keen to go home with him after a few drinks.

Sasha had brown eyes as warm as chocolate, dark skin and short wiry black hair. Sasha tasted of bitter chocolate and oranges. Sasha was made up of hard planes, thick muscle and was very very male.

Harry had explained that he had never been with a man before and the delight in the other man's eyes had eased a worry that resided in his chest. Harry was masquerading as someone closer in appearance to Draco with white-blonde hair, the Black grey eyes and pale skin.

Sasha had eased him down on the bed and taken him apart slowly. Harry had sunk into the pleasure of the moment, feeling a hot mouth working its way down his body, wrapping around his cock and suckling gently. Sasha had popped off after a few minutes of gentle teasing, his voice rough as he asked for some lube.

Harry had hastily rifled through his bedside table and tossed it to the other man still laying between his thighs. Soon that perfect mouth was back on his cock and Harry allowed himself to relax into the pleasure, not even twitching when a finger rubbed against his entrance. Spreading his legs further apart, he lifted his knees to allow better access as Sasha eased a finger in.

He could feel a slight burn, but that was washed away as the finger worked him loose. Soon Harry was rocking into the motion and he felt a second finger join the first. At no point did Sasha stop sucking Harry’s cock down as he began to scissor his fingers.

Sasha took his time, working Harry until he was loose and begging, cock leaking copiously as he tried to fuck himself on Sasha’s fingers. With a wicked grin, the dark-skinned man pulled away, quickly slicking his cock and guiding it into Harry’s entrance. They moaned as the thick head popped past the ring of muscle and continued sliding in slowly.

Harry bore down when instructed and soon, Sasha was buried deep in Harry, his forehead buried in the pale man’s shoulder, panting heavily. Before he knew it, Harry was whining, begging Sasha to just  _ move _ dammit. Rocking together, the dark-skinned man pulled out before thrusting back.

Then they were screaming together in release, Harry coming without any further stimulation to his cock. Back bowing off the bed, fingers digging into hard muscle, sweat-slicked and panting.

They collapsed, Sasha slipping free and rolling to the side where they lay, grinning at each other, fingers tangled. Sleep soon claimed them, but when they awoke, Sasha taught Harry how to return the favour, allowing the pale man to fuck him into the mattress.

*****

They settled into a comfortable pattern, meeting up a couple of times a week for fantastic sex that Harry took to with the same enthusiasm he had come to attack all aspects of his life. Sasha discovered very quickly not to ask Harry about his past and did not pry further, much to Harry’s relief.

Six months trickled by with their understanding, but soon, Sasha broke the news that he had met someone, and it ended on amicable terms.

There was still another year on the build, but Harry had scratched the itch and was now comfortable in his sexuality. It didn’t matter to him, man or woman, it was about the experience, that moment, the spark that drove him.

*****

_ India - Uttar Pradesh (Forest Colony) _

Next, he was off to India, discovering that the cottage he had inherited was tucked away in the forest near the Taj Mahal. He spent a sweet six months pottering around fixing the place up and tending the lovely gardens there. He savoured the food and the local sights but all too soon he was ready to move on.

In his quiet time alone in India, he realised that he no longer had any feelings towards his old friends, they had served their place in his life but he was beyond that now. The rage and pain that had driven him from London had faded completely.

The realisation that he no longer needed the approval of his peers made him feel light and free. It didn’t matter what they thought of him anymore. They didn’t matter. He was living his life and had no intention of ever returning.

He was creating something for himself and he was happy with it. When he was lonely, he found companionship, when he was tired of people, he sought solitude. He no longer had to answer to anyone, was no longer obligated to do anything. He had opted to visit the properties and could stop at any time, though the sense of purpose granted to him was something he admitted he did need.

He pushed aside any sense of wrongness or disquiet. He had found contentment for the first time in his life; had found a purpose that was his and his alone and no one could take that away from him.

So what if there was a growing sense of loneliness, a disconnect from the world? They had never done anything for him, he didn’t need anyone.

He was enough.

He pushed aside his old desires for a family, to have someone to share his life with. Every time he let them in, he was burnt. He would not risk the beauty and sweetness that was his life by tying himself down to someone who would ask questions, who would judge and control.

No longer would he be answerable to anyone, conforming to their expectations.

He also pushed aside the niggling worry every time he looked in the mirror. There was nothing wrong with him physically, but after picking up a paper, he realised that almost six years had passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. He didn’t look a day over eighteen at best when his twenty-fourth birthday was in six months.

Wizards had long lives and the time spent away from the stress of the UK meant that he was aging gracefully.

It did not matter really, there was no one around to notice that he looked too young for his age. It was irrelevant how old he was, he could go where he liked, do what he wanted and only provide the information he felt like imparting. People were welcome to assume his age and history to their heart's content.

It did not matter to him what others did with their lives.

He spoke to Griphook before departing India and discovered that the wizarding world had settled into a tentative balance. Hermione was leading the charge on fixing the overwhelming bigotry embedded in the Ministry of Magic. Surprisingly, she was working with Draco Malfoy to ensure that the old wizarding traditions were respected while everything was overhauled.

Harry was happy to hear that genuine change was being enacted, hearing a representative of the old guard was working closely with the new eased something in his chest that he hadn’t even known was tight. Perhaps he was worried that a new Dark Lord would rise, and the wizarding world would seek him out to put them down. Irrespective, he was still holding out hope that he would be allowed to fade into obscurity.

Unfortunately, Griphook advised that Ron had been very successful as an Auror. While he was disliked by many, he had an impressive track record with capturing dark wizards and was a voice for the radical light wing, often standing against Hermione and Draco who had become distinctly neutral in the aftermath of the war.

Ron had been leading the search for Harry, unsuccessfully, much to the redheads' chagrin. The Auror insisted that Harry had to be brought back into the fold or put down. He was too powerful to be allowed to run free.

In return, Hermione replied that if Harry was going to cause havoc, he would have already, and instead was probably enjoying a quiet life somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Which he deserved after the shit the wizarding world had put him through as a child.

It warmed his heart a little to hear his old friend still understood who he had been fundamentally.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 - Start of Chapter 11

_ Japan – Tokyo (Azabu) _

Harry had been in Tokyo for a couple of weeks when he met him.

He had ventured out to a local bar for a drink after he had finished reviewing the hidden top three stories of the hotel tower he owned.

It was in a perfectly good condition and required little to no work from him as it had only been finished ten years ago. The goblins had purchased the land and had commenced the process of building the hotel just prior to his parents’ death. Thankfully, they had enough leeway to finish the building and open it for business under the restrictions on the accounts.

It was only the top three floors that he had to worry about as the rest was muggle friendly and had been maintained by the company operating out of it.

Tadashi was tall and slim, shiny black hair cropped close to his head. He had been standing by the bar with his friends laughing freely and there was something exquisitely beautiful about him at that moment.

Fearlessly, Harry had approached, his blue eyes and red hair making him almost look like a Weasley. That night when they lay as one, their skin pressed together as they moved, he had marvelled at the contrast between creamy ivory and freckled peach.

They had fit together perfectly and soon, Harry was spending time with Tadashi and his friends, being accepted wholeheartedly.

It had only taken him a month longer to finish updating the hotel floors. Claiming a room for himself, he told Griphook to open the rest up for use.

Months slipped by and Harry found himself spending more and more time with Tadashi, forgetting for a while about the rest of the world and losing himself in the romance of the moment. The loneliness in his heart was assuaged; Harry had a companion and even though he wouldn’t share his past, they could build a future together.

Their first fight had been over Harry’s unwillingness to share about his past and childhood. They had been together for four months and Tadashi was becoming tired of his evasions and outright refusals.

Harry had shoved him against the wall at one point, pressing his body up against the other man, mouths crashing together in an angry kiss. Soon the remnants of their clothes littered the floor as Harry roughly prepared Tadashi. Moans and pants filled the room, fingers tangled in hair, teeth bared. The other man’s back had bowed away from the wall when Harry thrust home, sinking deeply inside Tadashi. Screaming and groaning, they fucked against the wall, Harry pounding away.

Tadashi came first, his fingers digging into the taut muscles of Harry’s shoulders as his release splattered over their chests. The redhead continued pounding into the other man until he came with a shout.

Slumping against the wall, they panted together until finally, the pair extracted themselves. Tadashi cupped Harry’s cheek and with a sad smile agreed to leave it alone. But something in his eyes told Harry that the matter wasn’t over.

It was another month before they fought and fucked again. This time on the kitchen table. They broke Harry’s favourite crockery when he swept it off the surface so he could bend Tadashi over it and fuck him into silence.

*****

Harry’s nightmares began returning from years ago. The stress and hurt he was experiencing dragging up old wounds that had been healed over and Tadashi was digging into. Each morning the dark-haired man would ask him about some word or name he had cried out in his sleep.

The amount of angry sex had increased exponentially. They had broken a side lamp, a vase, the tv and countless plates, bowls and glasses.

Over the years, the backpack Harry had purchased at the beginning of his trip had stuck with him. Normally he kept it secreted away; it contained too much of his past. He had eventually gone through the beaded bag that Hermione had stolen, sending back the things that didn’t belong to him for Griphook to return. He had kept photos and mementos from his time at Hogwarts. When he was feeling particularly nostalgic, he would look at them.

He had essentially moved in with Tadashi and had brought the backpack over one night a week ago in order to get something or other and had forgotten to secret it away again.

Everything fell apart when he came home one day to find his private belongings scattered across the kitchen table. Tadashi was flicking through his photo album. It was the one Hagrid had given him so many years ago which began with photos of his parents, but Harry had filled the later pages with pictures of his friends and those he had thought of as family.

An amusing thought flittered across his mind that Tadashi would have no idea who he was in the photos, he looked like one of the Weasleys, after all.

“What are you doing Tadashi?” Harry’s voice was cold, he felt violated by this invasion of his privacy.

“What am I doing?!” The other man’s voice was almost hysterical. “What is this?” He had whirled around and gestured violently at Harry’s things.

“That would be my private belongings. I did not give you permission to touch any of it. Why did you do this?” Harry stood firm, arms folded, muscles taut with suppressed anger.

“I don’t know anything about you, Harry! You won’t tell me anything and I hear the most horrific things in your nightmares. I had to find answers somehow! I want an explanation and I want one now. We were supposed to be building a life together, but you won’t let me in!” By the end, Tadashi was screaming at him from the other side of the kitchen table.

Harry couldn’t help the ugly sneer that curled his lip. “Did you think perhaps there was a reason I didn’t share my past? That perhaps I did not want to remember it, to discuss it, to rehash every fucked-up thing that happened with me? My life was a shit show that I had no control over. So I left. I walked away and have been free since.”

“This isn’t freedom Harry! You are only running from your problems!”

“Perhaps at the beginning I was running, but it has been years. I am not running from anything anymore. The people in those photos no longer matter to me. I keep them for nostalgia. I will never return to England, to London, to the life they tried to force me into. My life is what it is now and if you cannot accept me as I am, this is over.” The final sentence came out in a rush.

“Wait. Years. You said years. How old were you when you left London?!” Bewilderment leaked into Tadashi’s voice.

“I was 17 when I left.” Harry stated stiffly.

Tadashi scoffed. “Bullshit, you just keep lying. It can’t have been years, you are barely 18, maybe 19 at the most. Either it hasn’t been that long, and you are in denial, or you left a lot longer ago. Which is it?”

Harry blinked, fight momentarily derailed. “Tadashi, I’m twenty-four. It was my birthday in July remember?”

“I thought you were joking!” Tadashi screeched. “You can’t be twenty-four!”

Harry shook his head mutely. “Irrespective. You have violated my privacy in the worst way. We are done here.”

While Tadashi spluttered and demanded further answers, Harry repacked his bag, once finished, he called Griphook, explaining that he was moving on from Tokyo and would be cleaning up a small mess here that didn’t require the goblin’s attention. Finally, Harry turned to his now ex-boyfriend and withdrew his wand from a hidden pocket in his backpack. Tadashi watched in bewilderment as he aimed the wand and concentrated.

This would require finesse.

“ _ Obliviate _ ”

*****

_ Singapore – Island off the coast, unplottable _

After leaving Tokyo, Harry had spent a year on the private unplottable island off the coast of Singapore nursing his broken heart.

He had genuinely fallen in love with Tadashi, but the other man had never been satisfied. Harry had shucked his previous life like an ill-fitting coat and while he didn’t mind getting updates from Griphook occasionally, he stopped feeling anything long ago. It was more like an amusing soap opera than anything else.

The island had had a series of little bungalows that had unfortunately become quite ramshackle with disrepair. While in Tokyo he had picked up a laptop and had magically augmented it for his use so now took the opportunity to research what would be popular as a resort destination in the area.

Banishing the shacks became the easiest option rather than trying to fix what was there. He spent many pleasurable sunny days working on building newer modern bungalows on the island while his heart healed.

He was now intimately familiar with the process of healing from hurts inflicted by others and knew it could not be rushed. He worked through the pain, allowing the warm sun to wash away the memories of Tokyo. The memento’s he had collected from his time with Tadashi were relegated to the same pouch devoted to Hogwarts in his backpack. The memories were there, but the emotions were no longer relevant.

Cleansed, he prepared to move on, advising Griphook that the island was ready to be opened to the wizarding public as an exclusive magical holiday destination.

He tried to ignore Tadashi’s comments about his state of youthfulness, but they crept into his mind and whispered to him. Something in him had changed after the Battle of Hogwarts but he had no idea what it was. Shrugging it off, he figured if it was relevant, he would find out.

*****

_ Australia – Brisbane (Paddington) _

Next, he headed to sunny Brisbane. Moving into a beautiful old house that was full of old timber and latticework. He lovingly began to restore the property, breathing new life into the large spaces that seemed to exhale with the Australian summer.

One night, he ventured forth, the throbbing nightlife of the city called to him. Harry wanted to lose himself in the masses, to feel the vitality of youth wrapping around him.

He tugged on a nice pair of jeans and a tight-fitting t-shirt, stuffed his feet into his favourite dragon hide boots and slid his wand into a hidden pocket in his pants.

Setting off to the bright lights laid out below him, he breathed in the fresh air. There was something invigorating about Brisbane. He hadn’t been in the country long, but the weather was vibrant and rich, the colours bright, the people relaxed in a way he had never come across before.

Everyone moved a little slower, like there was no hurry in the world, it was ok to take your time to just savour everything around you. The skies were endlessly blue during the day unless it was mid-afternoon when it suddenly went grey and bucketed down rain.

He had been caught out the first time and his neighbour had laughed good-humouredly at him when he had stumbled up to his house drenched just as the rain stopped.

After the tension and pressure of Tokyo, then the solitude of Singapore, the easy-going nature of Australia was a balm. His feet carried him into the city, and he stopped at the first venue with loud music he found. It was an oversized pub, dance music from the upstairs floor warring with a live band set up in the beer garden out the side.

With a grin he made his way through security and up to the dance floor, wending his way through the writhing sweating bodies until he stood in the middle. He moved, dancing, swaying, eyes closed he lost himself to the beat that thrummed in his chest.

He still felt lonely without Tadashi in his bed but being surrounded by the youth of the sunny city, he felt alive and whole. He spent a whole year in Brisbane, making easy friendships with the locals. They were unbothered by his lack of a past, welcoming him with open arms and bright smiles. He was convinced by his friends to stay until the year turned before moving on to Sydney and he allowed it.

Once his friends had found out he had been hurt recently by a lover, they made a game out of him picking up people when they went out. They would select someone at random from whichever bar they were at and his mission was to take them home and bed them. First, they laid bets on his success, but soon realised it was pointless to bet against him. Soon they began betting on how long it would take him to bed them. He was amused by their antics but always remained courteous to his conquests, ensuring they had an enjoyable night while not allowing any attachments to form.

Finally, he left, moving to Sydney and working on the Darling Point property he found there. A couple of his friends met up with him down there and he whiled away another six months fixing up the mansion with a view.

When he spoke to Griphook about leaving Australia, the goblin sounded worried for the first time. Ron was gaining popularity with the radical light wingers in Britain. He had pushed through additional measures in the Wizengamot to try and track Harry down.

While all of his investments were progressing nicely and generally speaking, Hermione and Draco were managing the wizarding world, they could not quash the movement Ron was heading.

For the first time, anxiety twisted in his gut. He would not allow them to invade his life again. He had done his duty and would not be controlled. He resolved to be more careful and promised Griphook to keep in closer touch so they could monitor the situation in London better.

*****

_ New Zealand – Queenstown (Kelvin Heights) _

Harry had successfully kept to himself while repairing the property in Queenstown. Six months had slipped by there in isolation while the situation in London stagnated with impotent rage.

Ron still could not find Harry.

The Wizengamot had been putting pressure on the goblins, risking setting off a fresh goblin rebellion over violating their clients' privacy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

_ Canada – Vancouver (Shaughnessy Centre) _

From New Zealand, he went to Vancouver and spent a year hiding out and fixing up the property there.

Griphook advised that if the Wizengamot pushed much harder, they would rebel. Harry hated the idea that the goblins were suffering because of him and Griphook just sneered, commenting on the ego of wizards.

Harry had reluctantly floated the idea of handing himself over but Griphook had immediately shot it down. He seemed to relish the idea of the goblins rebelling against the wizards. Harry was one of the few who treated them with any respect so was unwilling to betray him for the sake of stupid wizards who thought they were entitled to more than they were.

*****

_ Canada - Montreal (Westmount) _

It was in Montreal that he was forced to face what he had been avoiding. He had reluctantly acknowledged that he had seemed to stop aging or had slowed down significantly. He was almost 29 now and barely looked 19.

He had been manually ripping metal supports for the siding on the building off when one had slipped, roughly slashing through the skin on his wrist. Blood had poured out, splattering over his clothes and onto the ground.

Harry tried to put pressure on the artery as he reached to call for an ambulance. He had accidentally left his phone inside on the kitchen bench rather than in his pocket like he normally did.

Staggering inside, he had felt his vision grey out before he could get to his phone and he collapsed, blackness swallowing him whole.

Eventually, he swam back into consciousness. Waking up in a pool of his own blood. He checked his wrist, but the skin was healed over.

He was alive.

The amount of blood around him indicated that he should be dead.

Could he not die?

Green eyes widened in horror.

Was he immortal?

Numb he shuffled to lean back against the kitchen island and hugged his knees to his chest as he tried to process the development.

Days slipped by in a haze as he tried to wrap his head around his own apparent immortality. Numbly, he completed repairs to the property.

It felt like he blinked and found himself sitting on the lip of the bathtub, a blade in his hands.

He should have died.

He had to know.

With shaking a hand, he pressed the blade into his wrist and cut deeply, watching as the lifeblood flowed free from his veins, pooling in the bottom of the tub.

Blackness crept in once more.

*****

Harry woke.

He was cold and sore. Slumped over the edge of the bathtub he looked down and could see an obscene amount of blood congealed in the bottom of the tub.

Well, that was answered then.

He called Griphook, let him know what had happened. Voice flat, devoid of inflection. They agreed he could never return to the wizarding world, they would take him apart bit by bit until they could recreate whatever freak accident resulted in his immortality.

Griphook requested that he keep notes on any experiences or findings he had simply for posterity. He agreed and left Montreal.

*****

_ USA – Massachusetts _

The property at Massachusetts had obviously been established to be close to Illvermorny. It was a miniaturised castle, probably built by someone who immigrated from the UK who missed home. The base structure was fine, but all of the furniture was rotten through and had to be replaced.

The plumbing was a nightmare and had to be completely overhauled. But what really caught Harry, was the fully equipped duelling room. If the wizarding world was really after him now, he needed to be ready.

Resolved, and pushing aside the pain of realising his immortality, the fact he would be watching the world die around him, that he was  _ lonely _ , he trained. He trained relentlessly, going over and over the spells he knew, digging through his portable library stashed away in his backpack.

He would spend the days ordering new furniture and moving it into the castle, trying to keep things as authentic as possible. His evenings were spent duelling the dummies until he fell over from exhaustion.

As the weeks turned into months, he could feel his body changing, hardening. His reflexes improved astronomically. His memory for spells sharpened. He was in control. It didn’t matter if he was alone and a freak once more. The wizarding world was not going to take him down.

*****

_ USA - California _

It took him three months to furnish the Massachusetts property. Griphook suggested opening it as accommodation for family members or other schools who were visiting Ilvermorny. Harry agreed with little care. 

The Wizengamot had apparently realised that putting pressure on the goblins was doomed to failure and so stopped before a rebellion actually occurred. Griphook seemed disappointed.

Instead, they were apparently chasing down every possible avenue for locating Harry. They were trying to liaise with the wizarding authorities around the world to little success. If Harry had been in their countries, he had not caused any problems and so they had no qualms with him.

Rumours were spreading that he was rising as a new Dark Lord, gathering followers to take over the wizarding world. All the while, Harry was hiding out in sunny California, practising his duelling and refurbishing the rambling Californian ranch.

He discovered there was a herd of wild hippogriffs that lived on the extensive property and he quickly made friends with them. He released a mass of ferrets and rabbits onto the property, knowing they were the hippogriffs preferred food of choice. He hoped that they would breed, providing a sustainable food source for the herd.

His thirtieth birthday slipped by, spent quietly reading in the library. He still looked nineteen.

A year passed by while he was hiding out at the ranch, he whiled away his days doing maintenance around the property, playing with the resident animals, and practising his duelling.

When he was ready to move on, Griphook proposed opening the property as a retreat for wizarding families to use during the holidays. He would place a wizarding family there as caretakers, giving them an allowance for repairs and whatnot. The place would look after itself.

The Daily Prophet was printing weekly articles defaming him, much to the apparent irritation of Hermione. Griphook offered to buy the majority shares of the Daily Prophet to force them to stop. Harry waved away the suggestion, instead countered that they could just sue.

*****

_ USA – Washington (Seattle) _

Harry should have known something was going to give. He had settled into a good routine. He made friends with locals, fixed up houses, kept occasional bed company, but no longer was he emotionally connected to them.

Seattle reminded him vividly of home, especially Scotland. Everything was lush and green, and it rained relentlessly. He had been in the area a month and had taken a day off from repairs to wander around town. He had stumbled across a quiet café book store and had been unable to resist.

He had been browsing through the books when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He forced himself not to whirl around, instead, he casually paced through the aisles until he was facing the door. He glanced up through his fringe, this time he had long black hair similar to his natural state. Eyes were grey this time and his skin was its natural sun-kissed brown.

A man had just walked in, he was tall with messy honey blonde hair and golden eyes. The man’s skin was pale, and he only looked around eighteen or nineteen. His face was rigid, mouth pressed into a hard line, body taut.

Harry tried to subtly observe the other man who had paused, just in the doorway, standing unnaturally still as he inhaled deeply.

Alarm washed through Harry. That was no mere human, more likely some kind of supernatural creature. The eyes suggested werewolf, but the skin was closer to a vampire. He forced himself to breathe slowly, flicking his eyes around the room to assess his options. The door the other man was by was the main access point. There was a door in the back corner which led to the kitchen and another next to it for the back room. So no help there.

A shaft of light cut through the darkness of the room and when the man stepped through it, Harry had to suppress a gasp. Every inch of visible skin was littered with silvery scars. Most of them were faded and old. It looked like someone had taken a rough chisel to a marble statue.

He had to get away from the man but how to do it without attracting attention? Everyone would notice if he apparated out. He had to get the man away from the door. Harry had never seen him before, but the chances of this man turning up now when the wizarding world was looking for him was too much of a coincidence.

To his overwhelming relief, the man began slowly moving into the café and away from the door. Harry circled around, edging closer to his only exit.

Watching closely, he could see the other man continuing to inhale deeply, tracking what seemed to be his scent.

Harry managed to slip out the door, the bell tinkling and the creature whipped around but he had already disappeared down into the nearby alleyway and apparated away.

Unbeknownst to Harry, the creature had followed him out and into the alleyway, cursing when he found it was empty and the scent trail ended. The other man slumped against the wall, running a palm over his face thoughts racing.

Everything had changed at that moment he had caught that scent. He had to find the dark-haired man…

*****

Harry became increasingly paranoid as the weeks crept by. The creature would not leave him alone. Every time he went into the city, he was there. It didn’t matter if Harry changed his appearance or where he went. The man would inevitably find him. Harry knew this couldn’t go on indefinitely, he still had to remain hidden from the public at large so couldn’t just apparate away every time the man appeared.

Harry had had to venture forth from the warded property to collect supplies from the local hardware store. Unfortunately, the other man had tracked him. Harry was just debating whether to abandon his shopping and flee once more when he heard a voice laced with desperation.

“Please! Wait! Don’t run! I just want to talk to you!”

The southern accent was smooth, wrapping a string around his heart and tugging. Harry paused, palming his wand and watching warily as the man approached.

“What do you want?” His voice was cold and harsh.

“I am sorry if I have frightened you, I just wanted a chance to talk to you, find out who you are, get to know you if possible. There is something about you that… calls to me.” The other man stopped a fair distance away.

“Find out who I am? You don’t know who I am?” Harry was bewildered. Perhaps the man wasn’t from wizarding Britain?

“No, I don’t!” The frustration in the other man's voice was a little overwhelming. “Will you allow me to buy you a coffee? I just want to talk.”

Harry watched the other man for a few moments. Some small part of his mind screamed at him to trust the other. This, of course, set his instincts on edge. Sending out a tendril of his magic, he touched the other man, checking his intentions. Surprisingly, the other shuddered and sighed at the contact; he seemed genuine enough.

“Stop stalking me. I will meet you tomorrow at the café you first found me. Now go away, I’m busy.” Harry turned on his heel, not waiting for a response. Leaving the man standing, completely at a loss until he grinned and disappeared to wait for the appointed time.

Once Harry had finished purchasing what he needed, he went home and prepared a veritable arsenal to take along to the meeting tomorrow. It was not safe for him to take anything on face value. The wizarding world had deteriorated to the point where if they found him, he would be thrown into Azkaban with his magic bound irrespective of the fact he had done nothing to deserve such treatment.

Ron had been gaining popularity rapidly throughout the public, unfortunately, the smear campaign by the Prophet was much more effective than the one carried out in his fifth year because this time he wasn’t there to dispute anything.

He now had amulets that would help conceal him from magical tracking and was considering having tattoos layered over his body to help hide him. He was a little stuck though, they would be most effective if a magical tattooer was used, unfortunately, they could not be trusted. He was working on a way of magically activating muggle tattoos and when he had it worked out, he would be safer.

Harry now knew that he would never be safe again, there was always the risk that he would be found. All it took was one slip and he had to hope that the meeting would not be it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15 - Chapter 17

Swathed in a scent dampening charm, a disillusionment charm, a silencing charm and his invisibility cloak, he crept into the café and watched the creature sit at a table nursing a coffee. He had already cased the surrounding area, confirming there was no one nearby who could be supporting the man.

Swallowing down his fear, Harry retreated to the bathroom and shucked the layers of protection, leaving the scent dampening in place before going and ordering a coffee. Once in hand, he cautiously slid into the seat across from the other man.

The blonde immediately perked up at the sight of him, but a frown creased his forehead when he inhaled.

“I can’t smell you.” He stated.

As a conversation opener, it was a bit odd. But then again, this whole thing was odd.

“Yes, I know. Why are you following me?” Harry’s reply was curt, eyes flicking around the room constantly, tracking the movement of everyone else in his sphere.

“As I said, I just want to get to know you.” The other man was clearly frustrated. “My name is Jasper, Jasper Whitlock.” He offered his hand across the table.

Harry stared at him for a long moment before reaching out and pressing their palms together. The hand was cool and hard. Well, that ruled out a werewolf, they always ran hot. Perhaps he was a sub-breed of vampire?

“Evans.” Was the curt reply.

“Well Evans, it’s nice to meet you. What brings you to Seattle?” The tone was polite and curious.

Harry frowned. “I am a project manager for a family that owns significant investment properties around the world. They have been lying in disuse for many years and I am helping restore them to a useable condition.” The practiced line rolled off his tongue.

Whitlock frowned. “You seem awfully young to be in such a prestigious position?”

Harry hummed noncommittally, eyes continuing to scan the room. His back itched knowing that he couldn’t see what was behind him.

“Do you enjoy your work?” Whitlock attempted again. 

“Yes, I enjoy the hard work and the satisfaction of a job well done.” Harry paused, frustrated with the dance. Deciding to cut to the chase, he snapped his eyes to the other man who blinked in surprise at the intense look. “What are you?”

Alarm washed over Whitlock’s face. “I don’t know what you mean.” There was a waver to his voice that told the lie.

Harry gave him a disappointed look. “We both know you are lying. You have been tracking me relentlessly for weeks. No one human could have. I will ask again once more before I leave and you will never see me again. What are you.”

He could see the other man pondering his options. The minutes stretched before Harry had had enough. Rising, he ignored the spluttered protests from the other and left the café. Moving towards the alleyway, he felt a cold hand grasp his elbow and, in a flash, had the other man pressed against the wall of the alley, wand pressed painfully hard against marble skin.

“Vampire.” Whitlock finally gasped and Harry eased up so he could answer properly. “I am a vampire. Your scent calls to me, I needed to find you, to talk to you. Please, give me a chance.”

“Fuck!” Harry cursed. “Who sent you?”

The other man seemed genuinely surprised. “No one sent me. I came into town to purchase some things for my family when I stumbled across you, I haven’t been able to leave since.”

Harry stilled, running through options. As a cover story, it was pretty flimsy. The man clearly had a southern accent and while that could be faked, it seemed genuine. Not once had the vampire tried to attack him, simply stalking him which could be explained by the call of his blood. Frowning, he eased up a little more, allowing the vampire to relax against the wall.

It was unlikely that Ron would send a vampire, but they were getting desperate to find him. The pureblood had always held a disdain for creatures that he had tried to conceal because light wizards were supposed to be inclusive.

“Family?” Harry asked finally. “You have a coven? A family?”

“Yes. They are adopted, of course, I have a mother and father, two sisters and two brothers. Rosalie and Emmett are mated, they are my siblings and Carlisle and Esme are mated also, they are our parents so to speak. Carlisle turned most of them, except for myself and Alice, my other sister.”

“Does the name Ronald Weasley mean anything to you?” Harry stared fixedly at the other man.

A complete lack of recognition greeted the words, well it had been a long shot. If Ron had sent the man, it would be unlikely he had handled it himself, sending an intermediary to deal with the dark creature was more likely.

Deciding to take a risk, a small one at that, Harry levelled with the vampire. “I am currently being hunted by an organisation. It seems unlikely that you would be hunting me at the same time. The coincidence is too great.”

He could see the vampire was at a bit of a loss on how to respond, so Harry finally took a full step back, creating some space between them.

“What can I do?” Whitlock asked finally.

“What do you mean? I doubt you can help me.”

“No, what can I do to convince you that I have nothing to do with these other people.”

Harry paused, that was… unexpected. “Meet me back at the café in two days.” Harry took another step away. “And for god’s sake, pick a seat where I can sit with my back to a wall.” With that, he disappeared with a crack.

Reappearing a moment later in the foyer of the Seattle house, he immediately pulled out his phone.

“Griphook. I need everything you can possibly get on a Jasper Whitlock as quickly as you can. He has been stalking me and I need to know if he is aligned with the radical light wingers in England or if this is just a bizarre coincidence. He has a southern American accent and is a vampire. He claims my blood calls to him. I met him today and agreed to meet with him again in two days. He hopes to convince me he is genuine in his interest.”

There was a long pause and Harry could hear the faint scratching of a quill in the background. “Are you sure it is wise Mr Evans?” Griphook asked finally.

“Of course it isn’t wise! But I don’t see what choice I have. He won’t leave me alone, I’m not even sure fleeing the country will be enough to shake him and if he can find me, then the light wingers can too.” Harry paused when a thought occurred. “You don’t happen to know a magical tattooer near me that can be trusted? Or that I can obliviate with no repercussions.”

“I will have to investigate Mr Evans. I will find what I can on Jasper Whitlock and will get back to you in 24 hours. I would recommend remaining within the wards until then.”

Harry groaned and hung up.

*****

Harry had to admit, the information Griphook had been able to obtain in such a short space of time was enlightening, to say the least. He read over the notes the dictaquill had taken of their conversation again.

_Jasper Whitlock joined the Confederate Army before he turned 17. In the following 2 years, he was promoted to Major in the army and became the youngest in Texas. At some point, he was turned by a vampire, Maria, who recruited him to use his military training and experience to create an_ _army_ _of newborn vampires. Apparently, when he became a vampire, he gained the ability to feel and manipulate people's_ _emotions_ _. Jasper commanded Maria's newborn army that participated in the Southern Vampire Wars. He was also responsible for disposing of them after their initial year as newborns had passed. At some point, he befriended a newborn named Peter, whom he persuaded Maria to keep._

_ When Peter ran off with another newborn, Charlotte, who was scheduled for disposal, Jasper allowed them to escape. In 1938, Peter returned and convinced Jasper to leave with him and moved to North America. Eventually, he left Charlotte and Peter. He tried to kill less often, but the thirst always won in the end. _

_ In 1948, he met a female vampire named Alice who led him to the Olympic Coven who are known to practice ‘vegetarianism’ or consuming the blood of animals instead of people. Alice is known to have premonitions of the future. They located the family in 1950 and were readily accepted. _

_ The family routinely matriculates around America, with the younger members going through high school and college until their age becomes unbelievable. Mr Whitlock has degrees in history and philosophy and also has ties with a lawyer who forges illegal identity documents. _

_ Most recently, the family settled in Forks, which is approximately 3 ½ hours from Seattle. There they seem to have incited a werewolf pack, picked up a new member of the family and pissed off the Volturi, the vampire kings. _

Harry had already cased the café (again) and was now watching from the back corner as Jasper purchased a coffee he would never drink and sat at a table tucked in a corner by the front window. At least the vampire had listened to him. With a huff, Harry moved into the bathroom, removing all of the disguising spells and, with much trepidation, the scent masking charm he had used last time.

He saw Jasper’s head whip around as soon as he walked out of the bathroom, watching avidly as Harry purchased a coffee and made his way over.

As he sat down, he saw Jasper inhale heavily and relax a little further into the seat. Silence settled over the pair as Harry sipped his coffee and watched the room, eyes flickering periodically to the man across from him.

“I ran a background check on you through an associate of mine. I struggled through six years of schooling, can’t imagine doing the same years over and over again for more than 50 years.” Harry snorted into his coffee.

Jasper blinked and shrugged. “The family likes to do it, Carlisle likes to work as a doctor, so we follow him around. I see it as a way of testing and improving my resistance to eating people.”

“I’m not sure if that is incredibly impressive, or incredibly stupid.”

“It’s both.” The vampire huffed out a sigh. “Out of my family, I have the least amount of control, but never the less, I persist.”

Harry inclined his head. “I am unsure where to go from here, to be honest. I can sense -something- between us, instinctually, but now is a very poor time. There is growing unrest in my world and while I am currently out of it, it is dangerous to have contact with me at all.” Jasper lurched forwards, grasping Harry’s hand and tangling their fingers together. “Please Evans, give me a chance. I will not betray you. Something in me will not permit it. I can see you are worried, but perhaps I can help. What is the harm?” Desperation tinged his voice.

Harry looked down at their hands, feeling a sense of connection that he had never experienced before. He couldn’t help but acknowledge he ached to reach out and take the opportunity. Perhaps he could hide out with this man and his family for a while. Break the routine he was in. They would be able to defend themselves and they would not judge him for not aging as he should. It was perfect, perhaps too perfect.

“Your death and the death of your coven could be the harm. Those that are after me have considerable power. It could lead to the destruction of everything you know. Am I worth that gamble?” Sadness coated Harry’s voice. He knew it was unlikely the vampire would gamble with him.

“Evans, please, I believe what we have… We could be mates. I have waited so long for you, to find my home. I am willing to risk most things for that.” Jasper leant forward, pressing a kiss to Harry’s fingers. His resolve crumbled.

“It’s Harry, Evans is the last name I go by.” Harry whispered, shivering at the cool touch from those lips.

Jasper looked up with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Harry then.” He murmured into his knuckles, cool lips caressing.

Harry tried to suppress a whine. “Come with me?” his voice was rougher than he intended.

“I thought you would never ask.” Jasper grinned.

With hurried movements, the pair left, heading into the alleyway where Harry apparated them to the Seattle house without preamble.

Jasper blinked, momentarily disoriented, but Harry did not allow him much time to get his bearings, throwing himself bodily at the vampire. The pair crashed into the wall, cracks spiderwebbing up the plaster, but Harry was entirely unaware, too busy pressing his entire body against the other man.

Lips, tongues, hands came together, pulling, pushing, grabbing. The next moment, Harry was against the wall, Jasper tearing at his shirt, pressing open-mouthed kisses along Harry’s throat and shoulder. Harry arched, thrusting against the other man, nails scrabbling on marble skin.

Eventually, the pair made it, mostly naked, into the loungeroom. There was a particularly soft rug in front of the fireplace and Harry pressed Jasper down into it, yanking off his pants, freeing the other man’s cock. He couldn’t suppress a moan, it was perfect, thick and long, Harry couldn’t wait to feel it inside him.

Shuffling back a little, he tore off his own pants, summoning some lubricant he hurriedly prepared himself. Magic was swirling in the air as Jasper watched him with hungry eyes.

Deciding he had done enough, Harry pushed Jasper back down onto the rug, grasping his cock and slicking it. Straddling the vampire, Harry positioned the cool length at his entrance and began slowly easing himself down. They moaned in concert. The sensation of Harry’s hot channel compared to the cold hard cock filling him was exquisite.

Once he was fully seated, kneeling over the vampire, he finally looked down. The other man was gazing at him in astonishment and his eyes widened when Harry reached for his bracelet and turned his disguise off.

“This is me, the real me.”

Golden eyes raked over his body, drinking in the abundance of scars, the messy black hair, tanned skin and vibrant green eyes. Tangling their fingers together, he tugged, and the dark-haired man tipped forward. They moaned again when Jaspers cock shifted, lips pressed together in a tender kiss.

“Beautiful. Perfect. Exquisite.” Jasper murmured in between kisses.

Sliding cool hands up Harry’s thighs, he began to encourage the other man to move. Slowly, they rocked, building up a pace and rhythm that had the pair panting and moaning into each other’s mouths.

Harry ground back, revelling in the sensation of being filled as the magic in the room built to an almost static intensity. It pressed down on him, coating his lungs and skin. Everything he touched was slick with a film of magic.

He could feel their climax approaching, knew everything would change when they came. He watched as Jasper tugged his mouth away from Harry’s, jaw stretching as his fangs came down.

“I need to… Bite… Please.” The blonde gasped and Harry nodded.

“Wait for the end.” Harry panted into Jasper's throat.

Their pace became erratic both chasing release as the magic tightened around them, filling them until finally, they came. Harry splattering over Jasper’s chest, Jasper filling Harry. The dark-haired man arched back, and Jasper lunged forward, sinking his teeth into the curve of Harry’s neck.

The wizard screamed, magic coiling around and through him, permeating everything he was as he felt exquisite pleasure-pain from the bite. He could feel his lifeblood flowing into his mate, connecting them, tying them together irrevocably.

All too soon, the pair collapsed, and darkness claimed them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 18 - Start of Chapter 20

For the first time in his undead life, Jasper awoke. There was no gentle awakening, it was more like a switch was flicked. One moment his brain was off, the next sunlight was streaming into his eyes before he squeezed them shut again. Everything hurt, almost like he had gone a few rounds with a newborn. His brain was a jumbled mess, but he could taste something exquisite on the back of his tongue.

He inhaled, feeling his lungs expand unnecessarily, the air somehow tasted sweeter. He flexed his fingers, something soft and fluffy under him. Tensing and relaxing all of his muscles, he realised he was naked and lying down. Listening, he could hear a voice, a male voice nearby, perhaps a room over.

“Griphook. Sorry, I took so long to get back to you.”

… Jasper couldn’t hear the response.

“How long ago was it when we last spoke?”

He could hear a consistent padding sound; the man was pacing.

“Fuck, I lost a whole day?!”

There was a groan and a muffled whump. The pacing stopped.

“So I met with the vampire I told you about. It went… well, I guess.”

There was a frayed edge to the voice and something in Jasper felt concern over it.

“We may have… maybe… mated?”

The voice cringed and mumbled the last word. Jasper snapped his eyes open, memories crowding in his mind, clamouring for him to remember them.

Vibrant green eyes. Exquisite heat. A sense of homecoming. The most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

Mate.

Jerking upright, he made his way towards the voice. As he moved closer, he still couldn’t make out anything. Exiting the room he was in, he spotted another open doorway that the voice was issuing from. Lounging against the frame, he watched the man rake fingers through tousled black hair.

“Griphook, stop. It’s done. I just wanted to let you know. It will be fine. Let me know if you hear anything more about the light wingers ok? I have to go.”

The man – Harry – his memory supplied, hung up and slumped over, dragging his fingers through his hair and grasping the back of his neck. Silently, Jasper moved forward until he could slide his fingers over bare shoulders to knead the tense muscles. The man twitched and relaxed with a moan, sinking back on the couch until he could look up at the vampire still working on his shoulders.

“Hello, sleepy head.” Harry’s grin was crooked.

“I haven’t slept since I was turned. That was quite an odd experience.” Jasper grinned back, realising his fangs were still extended. Tonguing them, he frowned down at his mate “I feel… different. Not how I expected either.”

Harry suddenly looked abashed. “Ah sorry, that is probably my fault…”

Jasper stopped massaging, moving around to sit next to the other man. “What do you mean?”

Scrubbing his hand through his hair again, Harry peered up at him through his lashes. “Um… well, we mated last night, as I’m sure you figured out. But I’m not just… any human.”

Jasper tilted his head, scanning the man before him. Drinking in his tanned, scarred skin, the messy black hair, bright green eyes, lush pink lips. He remembered how pliable the flesh under his fingers had been when he had massaged the man and his eyes widened. Finally hearing what he should have all along. A heartbeat.

“But I bit you! You should be in the process of turning! How are you still human?!” Jasper cried.

Harry cringed. “Well, you did bite me, sealing our mating. My body rejected turning, I guess. I’m not human, haven’t been in a while, I guess. I ah… can’t die? Found out by accident one day, then tested the theory and found I was right. I also stopped aging or am aging so slowly it’s barely noticeable anymore. But really I’m more worried about what my blood has done to you.”

Jasper reeled, working to parse out what was going on. Focusing on himself, he did feel a little different, but couldn’t place it. He couldn’t feel Harry’s emotions, then again, he had never been able to.

His fangs wouldn’t retract, which was irritating. He could feel the thirst, clawing at the back of his throat but there was also an odd hollowness to his stomach. Rather than being completely turned off the scent of his mates’ blood, it smelled like the sweetest ambrosia.

Tangling his fingers together, he realised his skin wasn’t quite as tough as it once was. Still firm and strong but a touch more pliant, like it could be moved but not broken.

He noticed a beam of light near him and a morbid curiosity overtook him. Reaching out, he slid his fingers into the beam and gasped. He didn’t sparkle anymore, he could feel a vague itch along the exposed skin though. He imagined if he stood in the sun for a while, he would eventually burn.

Retracting his hand, he looked back at Harry who looked equal parts terrified and needy.

“I’m sorry.” Harry blurted before Jasper could say anything. “I should have told you before we did anything, but something came over me once we were alone. I couldn’t stop it. Now you’re tied to me and I have no idea what I have done to you. I’m so sorry Jasper.” The dark-haired man buried his face in his hands.

Instinct demanded Jasper soothe his distressed mate, so shuffling closer he tugged the man into his lap, so their chests were pressed together. He finally noticed both of them were still naked but instead of thinking about that, he tucked Harry’s head into the crook of his neck and simply held him. “Neither of us could have fought our instincts for long, you had been running from me, heightening the chase and once I had you, I couldn’t let you go. We didn’t have a chance to discuss me turning you, and you didn’t have a chance to fill me in on whatever you are. All we can do from here is try to understand and move on together. You must know that darlin’, we are in this together.”

Carding his fingers through soft messy hair, Jasper felt the other man huddle closer into his embrace. A heaving breath later and the man was sobbing, much to the vampires’ surprise. He simply continued holding his mate, murmuring comforting words and petting the dark head of hair on his shoulder.

Eventually, the crying slowed, though Harry did not move from Jasper’s lap.

“I was born in 1980, my real name is Harry Potter. I was born a wizard. At 15 months old, my parents were murdered by a Dark Lord. I was sent to live with my detestable relatives for the following 10 years until the wizarding world decided to welcome me back so I could attend school. For the next seven years I attended Hogwarts until finally, I battled the same Dark Lord that had killed my parents and won, defeating him at last in my final year of school.”

The man in his arms shuddered at this point, suggesting things would get worse, Jasper struggled to imagine how though, his mate’s life already sounded bizarre and hellish.

“Following the battle, I was wandering the castle my school was in and stumbled across a conversation I wasn’t supposed to hear. My girlfriend and best friend were arguing about locating me, they discussed the routine drugging of me to keep me compliant so they could use my fame and steal my money. So I ran. I went to my bank where they helped me escape, preventing them from accessing my accounts. I have been travelling the world ever since. I recently had my thirtieth birthday.”

Pressing his face closer into my throat, he continued speaking as I ran my hands up and down his back.

“I was in Montreal when there was an accident. I was ripping some siding off the house I was working on when I accidentally tore my wrist open. Before I could get to aid or anything, I passed out. I should have died then, but I woke up in a pool of my own blood. I was going through a bit of a dark time and I had to know if it was a one-off. I had nothing to lose, so I slit my wrists in the bathtub. Just like before, I woke up.”

His shoulders twitched in a facsimile of a shrug. “My aging slowed down long ago, I will probably stay looking like this forever, well I hope anyway. I haven’t aged in quite a few years. From age seventeen to about twenty-five, it slowed drastically and seems to have stopped so that I look nineteen even though I am thirty. My blood is magical and seems to have wrought changes in your physiology instead of your venom changing me.”

The other man finally slumped, collapsing down into himself. Jasper was at a loss on the best way to respond, there was a lot of information there, but Harry seemed to expect him to leave. Perhaps…

“Harry.” He murmured softly, sliding his hand under the other man’s jaw and pulling it up so their eyes would meet.

Fear warred with hope in rich green eyes. They fluttered closed when Jasper pressed a tender kiss to bitten lips.

“Oh Harry.” Jasper sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around the other man, deepening the kiss.

He could feel Harry’s growing arousal, pressing into his abs and began rocking them gently together, relishing the silky-smooth caress of their cocks. The dark-haired man moaned and began rutting harder.

Tangling one hand into Harry’s hair to keep their mouths together, he slid the other down his spine, trailing fingers over soft skin, and cupping one arse cheek. Massaging it with his hands, he felt Harry mutter some Latin into his mouth. Jasper pulled away to look at the man curiously, but he just got a wicked look and a wiggle of the bum before his lips were once more captured in a desperate kiss.

Sliding his hand down further, he was surprised to discover Harry’s entrance was already soft and loose, slick with lubricant. Jasper could not suppress the moan that tore itself from his mouth. Thrusting first one, two then three fingers in, he swallowed down Harry’s gasps, twisting and playing until the dark-haired man was begging him for more.

Grinning, he eased Harry up, sliding his hips forward and grasping his cock, Jasper encouraged the other man to lower himself. Jasper shuddered at the squeezing gripping sensation, he had never felt anything like it before. Harry was tight and hot around him, but it was almost like his nerve endings were on fire, mind overwhelmed with sensation. Gasping and panting, he felt Harry’s arse finally settle on his thighs.

They breathed together, Jasper inhaling the scent of his mate, it wrapped around him, wound through him, stole into his heart. He was so lost in verdant green eyes that it took a little while before he realised Harry was gently fucking himself. Movements were slow, languid, gentle. None of the desperation needed previously. They fit together perfectly and Jasper could only revel in the sense of home he was being gifted.

Relaxing back into the couch, he allowed himself to drink in the man riding his cock so beautifully. All of his flaws and imperfections made him beautiful. Agonizingly, exquisitely so. Cool hands traced tender lines overheated flesh. Trailing over a thick cock flushed and leaking, jutting proudly. It was similar in dimension to Jasper, perhaps a little thicker, a little shorter. He couldn’t wait to taste it, to feel it deep inside.

He could feel his orgasm pooling in his gut, heat unlike anything he had felt before warming him from the inside. Harry was lovely riding him, sweat from maintaining control trickled over his skin. His back arching as he drove down.

Desperate to watch his mate fall apart, Jasper grasped the cock in front of him and began stroking in time with Harry. Swiping his thumb over the head, he couldn’t resist taking a taste, his instincts telling him this would be ok now. Flavour burst over his tongue. Salty, bitter, tangy.

Returning to his task, he grasped Harry firmly and began stroking, twisting at the head, he watched as Harry fell apart. Leaning forward, he licked a dusky pink nipple and was rewarded with a loud moan and fingers tangling in his hair. Grinning, Jasper began nibbling and sucking over the chest, careful to keep his fangs out of the way.

Suddenly he felt Harry judder in his arms, a hand in his hair tugging his mouth up to press in the same spot he had bitten yesterday. Just as Harry began to orgasm, Jasper bit down, feeling the rippling tightness around his cock, the vampire tipped over the edge too.

Drinking deeply, he marvelled at the flavour of his mate, felt the come splattering over his abdomen. There was darkness and light in the blood, power, compassion, fear, love. All the emotions he couldn’t pick up from his mate normally flooded through his mind now. Jasper found… understanding, freedom and safety in that moment.

Jasper could finally retract his fangs, instinctually licking over the wounds to collect the blood, he watched in amazement as they closed over. Harry was still rocking and shuddering on his lap, tiny whimpers and moans falling from plush pink lips. Pressing a kiss to them gently, Jasper couldn’t hold back a smile.

“It seems a little late, but perhaps we should move to the bedroom?”

Harry chuckled and the next moment, Jasper was recovering from disorientation and sitting in the middle of a bed. Laying back, he kept Harry cradled to his chest as he tugged a blanket over them and allowed the other man to sink into sleep. Jasper found himself… perhaps not sleeping, but drifting, the quiet of his mind taking him away for a time.

*****

Harry awoke gently, warmth at his back and coolness at his front. Blinking slowly, he assessed his position and what he could make out around him, realising quickly that he was half lying on Jasper. The vampire seemed to be watching him with some amusement.

“Good morning darlin’.” Jasper purred, tightening his hold a little.

Harry could only smile, pressing a kiss to the other man’s lips. They spent a few quiet moments together as Harry awoke.

“So I guess the question is, what next?” Jasper asked softly.

“Well, despite the distraction you posed, the house is finished. I would normally stay longer, pottering around but in reality, I could leave now and it would be fine. I don’t really care as long as I can stay under the radar and hidden from the light wingers who are after me. Do you have a preference?” Harry tried to suppress his sense of uncertainty. Everything about this situation was unlike his previous experiences. He could feel the bond encouraging them to get closer, to share and be open with each other. For the first time ever, he had shared his story with someone. He felt raw, open, stripped bare.

“Would you be interested in meeting my family?” Jasper asked hesitantly.

Mulling it over, Harry couldn’t help but think it would be a good choice, he would be with a group of powerful beings and he would get to meet those important to his new mate.

“Alright. I need to sort some things first, but that sounds nice.” Harry smiled gently, extracting himself from the vampire and shifting out of bed.

Unashamed for his nakedness, he hunted around for his phone, eventually sighing and throwing out his hand. Jasper watched, curious, as Harry waited impatiently for something to happen. Suddenly, a phone came zipping in through the open door and smacked into Harry’s palm. With a grin and a wink, Harry began dialling.

“Griphook. The house is done, I’m going to wherever my mates family is for a while, I will keep in touch though. Did you find that artist I asked for?”

There were a few beats of silence, Jasper marvelled that he couldn’t hear anything from the other end of the phone. Normally he could. Just another thing in the long list of odd things about Harry.

“Alright, thanks, I’ll go see them before we leave.” Harry hung up and turned back to Jasper. “I have an errand that I need to run, it will take a few hours most likely. Did you want to come?”

Jasper nodded eagerly, getting out of bed so they could get ready to go.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Chapter 20 - Chapter 22

Harry inhaled the heavy sterile smell of the tattoo parlour and grinned. He had reactivated his glamour bracelet on his face so that he wouldn’t be recognised, but he wasn’t willing to do anything with his body at the risk of it interfering with the tattoo magic.

A tinkling bell sounded somewhere in the room and a tiny pixie of a woman bounced out from a side door. She had bright pink hair that sharply reminded him of Tonks. Every inch of exposed skin except her face was covered in moving tattoos. Flowers and leaves shifted in a magical breeze over her arms, cherry blossom petals drifted over her chest. He could see leaves falling from an autumnal tree on her calf.

She smiled at the pair of them, blinking a little when she saw Jasper’s eyes but didn’t comment.

“Which of you did Griphook call about?” Her British accent was softened by her long exposure to American tones.

Harry stepped forward. “That would be me.” He offered his hand and she shook it without hesitation.

“He mentioned you might have designs already?”

Harry tugged a thick sheaf of parchment from his inside jacket pocket and moved over to the counter to spread them out. The artist blinked a few times at the number of images but hunkered down to discuss the designs and placement. She didn’t ask any questions about the designs, simply shared her own knowledge on how to get the most aesthetically and magically from the ink.

All too soon, Harry had stripped down to his underwear and was standing still as the woman lay stencils over his skin. Jasper had stationed himself on a guest seat and watched with curiosity. Soon, Harry’s chest, back, thighs and upper arms were littered warding symbols and magical designs. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Harry checked everything over, mentally measuring the distances, the locations and the intricacies of the designs. Finally, he nodded and settled back on the tattoo bench. Jasper shifted to his side, grasping his hand gently, eyes alight with fascination.

“Alright, bring your magic so that it runs over your body but is just against the skin, it will help imbue the symbols, making them more powerful.” The woman had finished setting up her machines and inks.

Both Harry and the woman closed their eyes, seeming to sink into a meditative state until Harry murmured that he was ready. The woman set to work while Harry breathed gently, his magic a rich film coating his skin. He felt the artists magic coiling in the ink, merging and tangling with his as each design was laid.

Hours slipped by with Harry eventually taking a healing potion and turning over so that the other side could be done. The room was quiet except for soft breathing and the buzz of the machine. When the artist finally sat back, handing Harry a fresh healing potion, they both looked exhausted, maintaining low-level magic constantly for hours was very taxing. They paid and soon Jasper was supporting Harry out. With an exasperated huff, Jasper tugged out his phone, googled where they were and, cradling Harry’s semi-conscious form, ran to the nearest hotel.

Jasper ensured they were checked in quickly and settled Harry onto the plush bed, watching over him while he slept off magical exhaustion. With an internal cringe, Jasper pulled out his phone and dialled.

“Jasper!” It was picked up a second after it rang, Carlisle’s voice filled with concern. “What happened? Where have you been? It’s been two days and we couldn’t get a hold of you! Alice couldn’t see you either, we have been worried sick!”

“Calm down, everything is fine. I’ve been a little busy and apparently out of reception. I didn’t know I was, or I would have let you know what was going on… If I’d had the time. Anyway, none of that matters, I’ll be home soon.”

“None of it matters?! Jasper! We have been so worried, we thought something had happened to you!” Carlisle’s voice was filled with admonishment.

“Yes, none of it matters, just stop for a second and let me explain will you!? I found him!” Jasper blurted.

There was an extended silence on the other end of the line. Finally, his adoptive father asked, “Found who?”

“My mate! I found him, I told you that I had stumbled across his scent but was having trouble tracking him, well I managed to pin him down! I found him! We will be home tomorrow once he wakes up.”

“Once he wakes… Jasper, please tell me you did not attack some poor human and turn them without their consent!” Horror filled the older vampires voice.

Jasper spluttered in indignation. “You really think I would do that?! You really think I am that much of a monster.” Hurt filled his voice and you could almost hear Carlisle cringe.

“No, Jasper, of course not, it’s just the way you put it…” He trailed off and silence descended, awkward and painful.

“Anyway,” Jasper said finally. “We will see you tomorrow.” He hung up before his adoptive father could hurt him further and turned his attention back to his mate. The man was deeply unconscious, so Jasper took the opportunity to take off his clothes, stripping both of them down to their trunks and curled up under the covers with the other man, allowing himself to drift into a deep meditative state.

*****

Harry could tell there was something wrong with Jasper when he woke in the morning. The man, while normally quiet, was almost withdrawn. Frowning with concern, Harry stopped the man in the middle of redressing.

“Jasper?”

The vampire looked up slowly, a sliver of hurt hiding in his eyes.

“Please tell me?” Harry asked, carding fingers through honey blonde hair.

Jasper sighed heavily, setting his boot down and leaning back on the bed. “I called my family while you were asleep last night. I told them I had found you and when I said we would be going to see them once you had awoken, Carlisle, my adoptive father, asked if I had turned you against your will.”

“Oh love.” Harry sighed softly, sitting down next to the vampire and wrapping his arms around the man tightly. “I won’t give you any platitudes or excuses, I don’t believe in them. But I can say that I am here, by your side, and always will be now. Our two lonely souls have connected, and nothing can break that, I promise.”

Jasper sighed heavily and burrowed into the embrace. The pair soon abandoned the idea of leaving. Harry pressed the vampire down into the bed, stripping away the jeans the man had donned and lavishing love and attention on every inch of skin. He pressed kisses from the arch of the vampires’ foot, up the inside of his calf to his knee. Trailing licks and bites along the pale expanse of thigh until he reached the vampires aching erection. Harry gently nuzzled into the crease between thigh and hip, inhaling the subtle scent of his mate. He ghosted lips over sensitive skin, tongue darting out to taste the shaft and head, gathering precome and testing the flavour.

Jasper was moaning and whining, hands twisting in the sheets as Harry teased him gently. Grasping the base of the shaft, Harry shifted so that he could slide soft lips over the dripping head, tonguing the weeping slit. Suckling gently, he eventually slid down the length, feeling the head nudging the back of his throat he hollowed his cheeks and eased back up. He set up a slow rhythm, holding the vampire’s hips down with one arm, he lavished love and attention on the man beneath him. Pouring everything he had into showing this man that he was there, that they were together, and nothing could change that.

Harry slid his free hand down to cup and caress Jasper’s balls, tugging gently and massaging them with his fingertips. The other man gave a sobbing moan and when Harry glanced up, he could see Jasper watching his with wide-eyed amazement, struggling to remain in control under the tender assault on his senses.

Releasing his balls, Harry conjured some lubricant into his palm and slid his fingers down the cleft of Jaspers arse to find his tight furled entrance. Teasing and playing gently, he continued sucking and laving the cock in his mouth. Eventually, Jasper relaxed enough for Harry to slip a slick finger inside. The sensation was unlike anything Harry had ever felt before. Normally, it would be tight and hot, but Jasper was cool, firm, just barely yielding to his ministrations. The dark-haired man couldn’t help the thrill at the idea of what it would feel like wrapped around his cock.

As Harry gently worked Jasper open, he could feel the vampires pending orgasm and instead of staving it off, allowed the other man to tip over, filling his mouth with his cool, salty seed. The dark-haired man took advantage of his relaxed mate, quickly working in a third finger and loosening the man enough that he could slick up his cock and position it at the vampire’s entrance.

“Jasper,” Harry called softly, amber eyes focused on him slowly. “May I?” He nudged his cockhead against the man’s entrance.

The blonde blinked and nodded.  Harry eased his way in, working past the usual pop and realising there would be little discomfort for Jasper as the vampire was limited in what pain he could feel. Sliding home, Harry paused, gazing down at the man beneath him.

“I will never judge you, Jasper, not for who or what you are. You are perfect, and you are mine.”

Harry could tell the other man was overwhelmed and began to move, achingly slow, easing out and back in, ensuring his cock brushed past the vampire’s prostate. The dark-haired man pressed kisses and whispered endearments into the cool flesh. Sex with Jasper was exquisite, the feeling of the vampire wrapped around his cock was incredible. He could feel the flesh warming from the transferred heat in his throbbing cock; the firm muscle slowly giving way to his relentless assault.

When Harry could sense them both getting close to release, he tucked Jaspers face into his neck.

“Drink, dear heart, you cannot hurt me. Drink and enjoy.”

Jasper moaned, sinking his teeth into willing flesh and the pair came. Harry hips stuttered and fell still and Jasper drank freely and without concern. The vampire revelled in the sense of connection with his mate, feeling his emotions through the blood. He never wanted to taste anything else, never wanted to feed any other way. This was more than he had ever dreamed and as Harry fell lax on his chest, he licked the wound closed and allowed the darkness to claim them once more.

*****

They briefly returned to the Seattle house to collect Harry’s things, Jasper fetched his car and the pair were off, driving into the lush greenery that was Seattle state.

Harry struggled to keep his hands to himself, reaching out to run his palm over Jasper’s thigh, trailing fingertips over the bared forearm. The day was overcast so Jasper didn’t have to worry about getting burnt by the sun.

The quiet settled over the pair, companionable and easy. They relished in the sense of no longer being alone, of having a partner.

As they drove, Harry took the time to drift in his mindscape, cataloguing the changes from the bond with his new mate. While he had not changed physically, he had a sense of where Jasper was and the notion floated into his mind that he would always be able to find his other half.

With a soft sigh, Harry lent his forehead against the door window and observed the passing scenery.

Jasper was also taking the time to feel out his own body, sensing that same odd emptiness in his stomach. His thirst eased considerably after feeding on Harry earlier; perhaps his self-control would be improved. Rubbing his palms on the steering wheel, he could feel… not more, but it was different. His senses weren’t sharper per se, they just felt more… alive.

He couldn’t help but marvel that he was no longer a walking disco ball. That was the best, most surprising side effect of everything but he was so very grateful he had found his wonderful mate.

Jasper thought back over the confession from the other man after their mating. He had been provided with a broad overview of Harry’s life, but he couldn’t help but think there was a lot more to it.

“Tell me about being a wizard?” He asked quietly. “You don’t have to tell me everything, or even the heavy stuff, I just want to get a better idea of who you are.”

He caught Harry smiling sadly at him from the corner of his eye.

“My relatives used to beat me for being a freak. When I found out about the wizarding world, everything suddenly made sense you know? I thought, ‘finally, I have found my people, I won’t be alone anymore’.” He sighed heavily.

“It was… well wonderful, magical. My world exploded outward with so much that was new and different. I never really got a chance to enjoy it though. From the outset, I was set up to be tested, to be pitted against bigger and stronger threats than I was. Dumbledore most likely organised for my upbringing to mould me to be a particular way so that not only would I be susceptible to throwing myself into danger, but I would be honour bound to protect anyone that showed me any affection.

“My friends were carefully selected and introduced to me so that I would be influenced by the right people. Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school that is, he choreographed my entire life. Even after his death, I was still stepping in the hollows he created for me.”

Jasper’s heart ached for the sadness he saw in his mates’ eyes. While he could tell it was all very distant now, there was that lingering betrayal that would most likely never go away.

“What is one thing you loved about magic?” He asked, trying to find a happy memory.

“Hm? Oh well, I guess I loved the possibility of it all. The idea that I could do anything, that nothing was impossible anymore. Of course, there are laws and rules to magic as I was taught, but since the final battle, those rules don’t seem to apply to me much anymore. I don’t really need my wand anymore unless I’m doing something really intricate. Most of the time when I want something to happen and it just does. So, I guess I love the freedom it grants me.”

Silence settled again, this one without the hint of sadness. Eventually, Harry turned and gazed at Jasper as he drove.

“The background check I had done on you gave me some broad-brush strokes on your life. I noticed that you seem to attract trouble almost as much as I do?”

Jasper snorted. “Not quite, I have been around a lot longer than you, darlin’. But still, we had some trouble recently. In Forks, the town where my family lives, they have lived there before and made a treaty with a local tribe of werewolves, there is a border and as long as we don’t cross into each other’s territory and we don’t turn any humans, we coexist.

“Unfortunately, Edward found his mate in a human girl who was local, there was a whole lot of trouble which involved the vampire kings, we ended up turning her after she fell pregnant to Edward and almost died in childbirth. The tribe would have tried to tear us apart if one of the wolves hadn’t imprinted on the baby. They will be mates one day when she is ready.”

Harry blinked, vigorously as he attempted to process all of that. “I’m sorry what?” He asked finally. “A human girl got pregnant to a vampire?”

“Yes, apparently it is a thing.”

“Well fuck. That’s definitely something new. Remind me to check my charms books when we get to wherever we are going.”

Jasper paused and looked at Harry. “Why?” The word was hesitant.

“Wizards can bear children. I don’t know if I still can, but it’s better to be sure of these things.” Harry replied nonchalantly.

“I’m sorry, what?” Jasper’s voice was flat.

“Well I didn’t know it could be an issue or I would have said something sooner! Anyway, with the changes wrought on me, chances are I can no longer bear.”

“That’s another thing, changes, what happened? Why are you different from your kind?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, a disclaimer, I have stolen the Three Brothers story from The Deathly Hallows (the movie version because it is shorter than the beedle bard version).
> 
> Chapter 23 - Chapter 25

Harry sighed and rummaged through his bag in the back seat until he withdrew a small book. “Let me tell you a story…

_ There were once three brothers, who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too treacherous to pass. But being learned in the magical arts, the brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. _

_ Before they could cross, however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. It was Death and he felt cheated. Cheated because travellers would normally drown in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers on their magic and said each had earnt a prize for being clever enough to evade him. _

_ The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence so Death fashioned one from an elder tree that stood nearby. _

_ The second brother decided he wanted to humiliate Death even further and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. So Death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him. _

_ Finally, Death turned to the third brother, a humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. So it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own cloak of invisibility. _

_ The first brother travelled to a distant village where, with the Elder Wand in hand, he killed a wizard with whom he once quarrelled. Drunk with the power that the Elder Wand had given him, he bragged of his invincibility. But that night, another wizard stole the wand and slit the brother's throat for good measure. And so Death took the first brother for his own. _

_ The second brother journeyed to his home where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet soon she turned sad and cold for she did not belong in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother killed himself so as to join her. So Death took the second brother. _

_ As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he attained a great age, did the youngest brother shed the cloak of invisibility and give it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals. _

“When I started at Hogwarts, I was given my fathers invisibility cloak,  _ the _ invisibility cloak. In my Seventh year, Dumbledore bequeathed me the resurrection stone secretly. Finally, Dumbledore had the Elder Wand. Before he died, he was disarmed by a boy in my year, Malfoy. Later on, before the battle, I fought Malfoy and took his wand, thus also claiming ownership of the Elder Wand, which the Dark Lord had been using, thinking it was his. When we duelled, the Elder Wand was unwilling to fight against his master and as such, the Dark Lord lost, and I claimed the Elder Wand. At that point, I became the master of all the Hallows and as such, the Master of Death. I believe that is what has caused the changes in me.”

As he had been talking, Harry slowly huddled in on himself. He had been unwilling, had not wanted to be bestowed with such power. It wasn’t so bad now that he had Jasper to spend eternity with, but still, the orchestration of it all made him sick. Dumbledore had done this to him without his knowledge or permission and now it was too late, would always be too late.

*****

“Your eyes are changing colour by the way.” Harry’s comment caught Jasper completely off guard as they drove into Forks.

“What?” Was all Jasper could find to reply with.

“Your eyes, they are changing colour. I’m assuming the gold colour was due to your nature and feeding habits. You have fed from me three times now, so your eyes are turning red but still streaked with gold. Is that normal?”

Jasper shook his head, tugging the rear-view mirror around so he could look at his eyes. Groaning softly, he could see Harry was right. Oh, his family were going to lecture him something serious…

“Normally, when I slip, they go fully red, but then again normally I drain the person I attack. Maybe because I haven’t been draining you, only feeding in bits, that my eyes haven’t gone completely red yet. Or maybe your magical blood is doing something. Who knows really?” Jasper murmured the last to himself quietly.

“Speaking of which, you are always welcome to feed on me. I don’t mind at all.” Harry’s voice was soft and his smile tender, Jasper felt his dead heart clench at it. “I have to ask though, animal blood?”

Jasper laughed. “Was that a question?” He listened to Harry splutter for a moment before waving it away.

“Carlisle believes in doing no harm to others. Some of us have never tasted human blood, some of us have. I am firmly in the latter category. I am an empath, so I could feel the fear of my victims. After a while, I became sick with it, especially when I was with Maria, my Sire. Switching to animal blood eased my conscience. It is not quite as good as human blood for us. Perhaps the difference between the best steak you have ever tasted and the cheapest steak you can get.” Jasper shrugged, waiting to see Harry’s response.

“Ok, well I don’t mind what you do. Have you considered taking ‘bad people’ as your victims?” Harry used his fingers to quote bad people.

“Edward did that for a time. I have considered it, but there is pressure from the coven to conform.”

“So you’re an empath? Anyone else in your coven have special gifts?”

“Alice gets glimpses of the future, but only what will happen. Edward can read minds.”

“I’m sorry what?” Harry’s face whipped around to stare at Jasper.

“Alice is a seer and Edward is a mind reader?” Jasper replied, frowning at Harry’s odd response.

“Can Edward read your mind?” Harry’s voice was hard.

“Of course.” The vampire was truly bewildered.

“Pull over.” Harry demanded, waiting for Jasper to pull to a stop out the front of a set of shops and look at him. “I can’t have your entire coven knowing all of my secrets Jasper, not yet at least. Do you trust me?”

Jasper nodded slowly, understanding dawning.

“Don’t break eye contact ok?” Harry asked, waiting for another nod before he murmured ‘ _ Legillimens’ _ .

Jasper could feel his mate slide into his mind and his breath caught in his throat. He could sense that Harry wasn’t touching anything, unlike Edward. Instead, it was almost like… walls were going up around his mind. Jasper could feel everything in his head becoming more secure, being locked away and sighed in relief. Eventually, Harry withdrew gently and blinked a few times.

“Sorry about that Jasper, it’s just too much of a risk. I was planning on doing that at some point, explaining it all properly beforehand. But if Edward is a mind reader, it couldn’t wait.”

Jasper pressed a soft kiss to Harry’s lips, letting him know it was ok before turning the car back on and pulling out onto the road. All too soon they were pulling up to a beautiful, ultra-modern house.

*****

“Oh, they are not happy…” Jasper moaned, resting his forehead on the steering wheel.

Harry could only reach out and pat him on the shoulder.

With a sigh, Jasper straightened, casting a sad look at Harry and climbed out of the car. The pair make their way up the stairs so Jasper could push open the door.

Stepping into a pristine loungeroom, the family was staged perfectly. All shades of gold and marble and impossibly beautiful. Harry couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious with his scruffy hair and scarred skin. The expressions around the room were mixed, anger, fear, hurt, betrayal. Everyone was tense and tight.

Harry couldn’t help but be amused when everyone inhaled heavily as he stepped into the space, frowns flickering over their faces. He had already thrown a scent dampening charm over himself before entering, he didn’t want any additional risks. With a glance at Jasper, he smothered the chuckle that wanted to escape and opted to stand quietly by the man.

“So Jasper, this is your mate?” A small brunette woman was standing near the front, her posture aggressive.

Harry suppressed the instinct to reach for his wand. He didn’t need to anymore and any movement by him might trigger a slaughter. He did not want to know what would happen to him if he was torn to pieces.

“Hello Alice, everyone. Yes, this is Harry.” Jasper’s expression was stoic, but Harry could see the strain in his eyes. His family’s emotions a heavy onslaught.

“Jasper really? We thought Alice was your mate?!” A blonde woman stated derisively. “And how did you think it would be ok to bring another human into the coven? While it may have turned out ok last time,” She threw out her hand towards a woman with long brown hair, “He can’t even contribute anything like Bella did.”

Harry couldn’t help but blink. Well, this is not going well at all. And why on earth would they think he was already mated? He cast a surreptitious glance at Jasper, the man looked genuinely bewildered now.

“Alice isn’t my mate. We’re just friends, why on earth would you think we were anything more? Also, you know nothing about Harry, so how about you back off.”

The blonde snorted and settled back against the wall. A blonde man stepped up this time, holding his hands out soothingly.

“Jasper, while I am glad you are home safe, and you haven’t turned this poor human, I think it’s time you let him go and come back to the family. You are only hurting Alice with your behaviour.”

The tiny brunette woman looked devastated but something in Harry knew it wasn’t genuine. Jasper looked horrified and hurt and turned to Harry, apparently at a loss. Harry could only shrug, rubbing a thumb over the back of Jasper’s hand.

“Why can’t I read either of you?” The man next to the long-haired brunette cut into the silence.

Harry coughs. “Ah, that would be me.” All eyes in the room snapped to Harry and he struggled to suppress a flush under the scrutiny.

“I can understand you having a mental shield, Bella has one too, but what do you have to do with Jasper suddenly developing one?” Edward demanded.

“I put his there?” Harry asked hesitantly. His instincts were screaming at him to get out. This was a bad idea.

Turning to his mate, Harry tugged on Jasper’s hand until they made eye contact. “Jasper, this is not going well. I shouldn’t be here, they don’t want me here. I’ll go back to Seattle. You will have an easier time talking to them without me here.”

Harry could see the conflict in Jasper’s eyes. Smiling gently, Harry pressed a soft kiss to the man’s lips to the sound of growls coming from the room. Walking outside, Jasper could hear Harry go to the car, collect his things and disappear with a crack.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 26 and then we get into the plot switch and new content. From now on I will be posting a single chapter a day. I just wanted to get up the original story and the plot divergence.
> 
> Again, I want to give a shout out to my muse and beta, Besiegen!! Thank you for everything :) Also, credit to them for the 'what to expect when you are expecting a halfling' title ;)  
> 

Furious now, Jasper rounded on his family. “What the fuck was that?! You have never behaved like that before, and now, because I found my mate on my own, you behave like a pack of petulant children? What the hell is wrong with you all?!”

“What the hell is wrong with us?!” Alice shrieked. “What is wrong with you? We send you to Seattle to pick up some books and you don’t come back for over a month! Every time we called you would give us some bullshit excuse about finding your mate but how you were having trouble hunting him down. Now we find you have roped some poor human into your madness, and you bring him here like some kind of prize? There is nothing wrong with us Jasper! What the hell has gotten into you?”

Jasper blinked and took a step back, shaking his head. “Harry is my mate Alice, I don’t know where you got the idea that you were, but as far as I was concerned, we have always just been friends. Close friends granted, but nothing more. We have never even had sex! I have spent the past month hunting Harry down, and finally, about a week ago I caught a break. It has taken me this long to get him to trust me. I convinced him to come here to meet you all, and you all behave like this? Why? You weren’t like this with Emmett, you weren’t this bad with Bella. Why are you doing this to me? To Harry?”

Edward scoffed. “No human can evade us.”

“No shit.” Jasper cut back.

“So what is he?” Bella sneered.

“I can’t tell you that. Not that any of you deserve to know the truth with the way you have been acting.” Jasper growled.

“Jasper, love, I have been patient, I saw that we would be together, but this is beginning to get hurtful. Please stop.” Alice was suddenly in front of him, pressed up against him and Jasper struggled not to cringe away. Instead, he gently gathered her hands together and nudged her away from him.

“No Alice, I don’t know how many times I have to say this. Harry is my mate. We have mated already, it’s done.”

“What do you mean you mated already?” Carlisle cut in. “He was still human, unchanged.”

Jasper could only shrug. “That is between me and him. Irrespective, we have mated, and he will not be becoming a vampire. Any further explanation is up to Harry.”

Silence descended over the room, heavy with disbelief.

Jasper could only sigh. “I’m going to go. Call me when you are willing to listen to reason.”

With that, Jasper turned on his heel and walked out the front door, pulling out his mobile phone as he went.

“Harry, can you come to get me? I’m by the car.”

The family poured out the front door to the sound of a crack, they saw Harry step up to Jasper, wrap his arms around the vampire, then the pair disappeared with another crack.

*****

Once his head stopped spinning, Jasper turned to Harry and gathered him up in a crushing hug.

“I am so sorry love, I never expected them to behave that way. I thought… Well never mind what I thought. We are together and nothing will change that.” Jasper stated firmly, missing the look of astonishment Harry directed at him.

“Are you sure Jasper?” The dark-haired man asked, pulling away to hug himself. “Are you really happy to give up your family for me? I’m not much, they have loved you for a long time.” Harry cut his eyes away, unwilling to watch the first person that had been  _ his  _ walk away.

Cool fingers slid over Harry’s cheek, tugging his chin around so that amber eyes met green. “Harry, I am not leaving you. You are my other half darlin’. I know this is all new, but I hope in time, you will believe me.”

Jasper pressed a tender kiss to Harry’s lips, encouraging the other man to melt into his embrace.

Eventually, the pair moved to the loungeroom where they settled on the couch by the fire, just soaking up the comfort of each other’s company. Hours slipped by before Harry finally stirred.

“I’m hungry, going to fix myself something to eat, will you come to keep me company?” There was a painful vulnerability in Harry’s voice, almost as if he worried if he turned away from Jasper for a moment, he would disappear.

“Of course, darlin’.” With a grin, Jasper swept Harry up into his arms and blurred to the kitchen.

Harry soon set to fixing himself some toasted sandwiches while Jasper lounged on the bench, sharing silly stories from his life. Once Harry had finished, Jasper grasped the other man around the waist and pressed him down onto the tabletop, kissing the breath from his mate.

With a laugh, Harry submitted to the vampire’s ministrations, wicked fingers stroking and caressing their way overheated flesh. A cool wet mouth slid over his aching erection, the feel of lengthened canines skimming over sensitive skin. Harry couldn’t resist arching his back, fingers tangling in honey blonde hair.

Gasping out some Latin, Harry felt himself cleansed, lubricated and loosened. Jasper hummed in approval and soon cool fingers were plunging into Harry, twisting to press insistently against that sensitive bundle of nerves. The dark-haired man could feel his orgasm coiling rapidly and all too soon he was coming with a shout.

As he drifted back to awareness, he could feel Jasper sliding home, cool hardness filling and stretching Harry deliciously. With a moan, Harry wrapped himself around the vampire, tugging him down for a messy kiss. The wizard could still taste his essence on Jaspers lips and when one of Jaspers fangs caught on his lip, a trickle of blood joined the mix. Jasper moaned loudly, sucking hard on the abused lip.

They made love on the kitchen table, washing away thoughts of families who disapproved or the looming sense of abandonment. Instead the pair simply revelled in the company of each other. All too soon, Jasper was coming, filling Harry with his cool seed and the wizard couldn’t help but wonder if there was life growing inside of him.

Harry couldn’t help but think his status as Master of Death would preclude him from being able to bear but he couldn’t shake the image of a green-eyed honey blonde boy. Eventually, he cleaned them up and the pair drifted off to bed.

*****

The next morning, Harry awoke with a groan and a stretch, feeling that lovely familiar ache through his body that spoke of being well fucked. With a sigh, he rolled over to face Jasper and immediately, a long-fingered hand reached out to begin carding through Harry’s messy hair.

Suddenly, Harry’s eyes lit up and he lept out of bed, summoning his backpack while Jasper watched in bemusement from the bed. Rifling through the bag, Harry tugged out his old charms book with an exclamation. Rushing back to the bed, he began flicking through the pages until he finally settled on what he was after.

Jasper watched as a wand extracted itself from the backpack and smacked into Harry’s open palm before he began tracing shapes in the air and muttering to himself. Once satisfied, Harry settled on the bed then cast, ending with the wand pointing to his own abdomen as a string of Latin fell from his mouth.

The vampire watched with curiosity as Harry’s stomach lit up a soft blue. He waited a few beats for an explanation, but nothing was forthcoming. Shifting, he looked properly at Harry’s expression to find it filled with astonishment and hope.

“Harry?” Tender fingers reached out to brush his cheek.

Wide green eyes snapped up. “I’m… I’m… I didn’t think I could, not anymore, not after… But…” He trailed off, staring down at his blue limned stomach once more. Jasper looked down as well, fingers trailing down Harry’s chest to press his palm against Harry’s flat stomach.

“Darlin’? Are you sure? You’re really… We could have a family?” Jasper’s voice was soft, hesitant.

Their eyes met once more, Harry nodded slowly, hands pressing over Jaspers, holding them to his stomach. “Pregnant.” He half laughed, half sobbed. “I’m pregnant.”

Jasper could only reach out, gathering the other man into his arms. Before he had been turned, he had assumed he would have a family one day. After, he figured being a vampire precluded him from the possibility, him being gay even more so. But now, the universe had blessed him with Harry, his little miracle.

“You’re pregnant,” Jasper repeated, Harry’s face now buried in his throat nodded. “We are going to have our own family.” Another nod and a shuddered exhale against cool skin. “I am so glad I found you, Harry. My life was so empty without you, and now, you have given me everything.”

Tangling long fingers into raven hair, Jasper tugged Harry’s face up so he could press a tender loving kiss to his lips. Their kiss was slow and luxurious as they curled back up in bed, blankets tugged over their heads. Their hands stroked and touched, Jaspers fingers never leaving his belly, imagining it stretched and full with his child.

Eventually, they drew apart. “Well, I certainly won't be able to continue travelling if I’m pregnant.” Harry chuckled.

“How long are wizarding pregnancies normally?” Jasper asked quietly, remembering the horror that was Bella as she carried her daughter.

“Six to seven months, men’s bodies aren’t designed to carry children naturally and while magic helps, it also encourages birth a little earlier. Why?”

Jasper swallowed heavily. “Bella’s pregnancy lasted a little over a month on the outside.”

Harry couldn’t help but gape. “A month?! We have a month?! On the outside?!” Hysteria began to edge in a little.

“Perhaps yours will take a little longer?” Jasper offered weakly, to which Harry could only glare.

“Well if that is the case, we need to get moving. We have little to no time to waste.” With that, Harry sat up and summoned his phone.

Dialling briskly, he shot another dirty look at Jasper who could only look sheepish. “Griphook? So something else has come up.”

“Yes, something else. Meeting or staying with his family did not go well, so we are back at Seattle. But that’s not the reason for my call. I am, apparently, pregnant.” The last is blurted out in a rush.

Jasper can almost feel the heavy silence at the other end of the line.

“Apparently, we only have a month if we go off Jasper’s sister-in-law’s timeline, with me being a wizard, who knows. For now, let’s run with a month. We will need a secluded property somewhere quiet but with a wizarding precinct that we can access easily. If possible, I will need a healer, one with high-level secrecy clauses. While I can’t die, I don’t really want to gamble with this so having someone on hand to help would be appreciated.”

Jasper watched as Harry nodded along with whatever Griphook is saying.

“Germany could work.” Green eyes flick to Jasper. “Can you speak German?” The vampire can only shake his head. “We will need another babel fish. Can you send through an information packet to me? The house will need to be move-in ready, two bedrooms with an office minimum, perhaps a bit of land? Backing into a forest or something? We will need it in the next couple of days though.”

Harry fell silent, listening to Griphook. Jasper can't help but get up and wrap his arms around his mate, chest to back. Harry leans back into his embrace as Jasper traces tender fingers over his abdomen, already the firm lines of muscle have softened a little. The vampire can't help the thrill that runs through him at the knowledge that his incredible, wonderful mate is granting him a family.

While he is lost in thought, the conversation on the phone ends because Harry's head drops back onto his shoulder exposing a delicious amount of neck that Jasper has no hesitation nuzzling into the soft skin, licking, kissing and nibbling. A moan rumbled through Harry's throat and when Jasper's hand slips lower, he realised the dark-haired man was already aching hard. Wrapping his hand around the length, he stroked slowly, relishing the feeling of Harry sagging against him, his other hand still pressed against that flat belly.

“A family,” he breathed into Harry's shoulder. “We are going to have our own family, us together.”

He felt fingers slide into his hair, tugging so his mouth was pressed into the crease where shoulder met neck.

“I never dreamed I would have a family,” Harry whispered. “Never dreamed I would find you.”

Harry turned in his arms, kiss fierce and demanding. With a groan, Jasper scooped the wizard up, moving back to the bed and pressing him down. The dark-haired man arched as Jasper kissed his way down his body, lavishing loving attention on peaked nipples and flat abdomen before sucking Harry’s hard cock down without hesitation. The wizard shouted, body jerking, fingers tangling in honey blonde hair as Jasper swirled his tongue around the leaking head. The vampire trailed his fingers down, tracing gently over his mate’s entrance and as he caressed the sensitive skin, he felt it suddenly get slick, the rim softer and looser.

He was really beginning to love magic.

Lovingly, he slid a finger in, mouth still working over the hot length against his tongue. He didn’t want to rush ensuring Harry was stretched enough, the man was bearing his child, his child! Gratitude and love crashed through him at the thought that in a month, they would have a family, a real family together. Harry was a babbling mess as he worked up from one finger to two, then eventually three.

Allowing the cock to slip from his mouth, Jasper settled over Harry, pressing his aching length to the wizards’ entrance. Suddenly, warm thighs wrapped around his hips, encouraging him to slide home. Gasping and panting, the vampire worked his way in, watching wide green eyes that gazed lovingly up at him, fingernails scrabbling at marble skin. Once he was fully sheathed, he pressed his forehead into a sweaty shoulder; the pair rested in the moment, whole, complete.

Lifting his head, Jasper gazed deeply into Harry’s eyes and they shared in the realisation that this was forever, they would be together, have each other, forever. It was more than either had ever expected, had hoped for. With a tremulous smile, Harry leaned up to press a tender kiss to his mates lips and tightened his thighs, causing the vampire to shift inside him. The pair moaned and Jasper began to move, rocking in and out, he adjusted the angle until Harry arched and groaned.

With another brush of his lips to heated flesh, Jasper began gently fucking his mate, pleasure coiling slowly, a golden thread tightening around the pair. Time ceased to mean anything as they moved together. Reaching down, Jasper wrapped his hand around the wizards leaking length and stroked, movements languid. With a sigh and a moan, Harry came, white ropes splatting over his stomach. Feeling his mate tighten around him, Jasper tipped over the edge, sinking his fangs into Harry’s bared throat and drinking deeply, revelling in the sense of connection.

*****

 “Jasper?” Harry glanced over his shoulder as he tugged a pair of jeans on. The vampire hummed from where he sat in bed reading. “I have to run some errands; I need to get some potions to help support the pregnancy until Griphook can find me a healer. I won’t be able to brew while pregnant; the nearest wizarding community is in Idaho, which I can apparate to, did you want to come?” He tugged a shirt over his head, unconsciously resting a hand over his softened belly.

“Of course I will come, darlin’” Within moments, Jasper was dressed and waiting at his side. Harry summoned his glamour bracelet, activating it to his most recent appearance.

With a laugh, Harry pulled the other man into his arms and disappeared with a crack.

Moments later they reappeared in the apparition area for the Magic Valley wizarding precinct in Idaho. It was similar in size to Diagon Alley; it serviced the wizarding population of the North West of America. With a grin, Harry tangled their fingers together and dragged the wizard to the apothecary. They began browsing the shelves and Jasper quickly found himself fascinated by all the different things he could see. Chuckling to himself, Harry gave up trying to make heads or tails of what to get and went to the Potions Master behind the counter.

“Excuse me,” Harry asked politely, “I was hoping you could help? I need potions to help support a pregnant male.”

The woman behind the counter blinked, eyes flicking to Jasper who was trailing behind him. “Of course, is there anything special about the foetus which I should know?” 

Harry shared a glance with Jasper. “Yes, the other father is a vampire.” He replied quietly.

She nodded and with a wave of her wand, four potions and a tub sailed through the air to her hand. “First, I recommend a broad spectrum pre-natal nutrition potion, it will help to bridge any gaps in your diet, ensuring the foetus grows well. Next, I would recommend this particular bone-strengthening potion. The usual ones can be harmful to pregnant people, so ensure when you purchase more you get the right one. With the accelerated pregnancy you will experience, you will need help keeping your bones strong to support the extra weight. This potion will provide additional blood to the foetus, it will become thirsty rather quickly and will begin ‘feeding’ from you."

She held out the tub this time. “This one is a topical cream, apply it every day to your abdominal area. Men’s bodies are not designed to bear children as well as women’s, this will reduce scarring and stretching and will help your skin bounce back once the birth has occurred. 

"Finally, I would recommend this potion, it is designed specifically for male pregnancies and will give your body a boost to cope with the strain it will be under. Do you have any allergies?”

“No, I don’t,” Harry replied. “What is the recommended dosage for someone like me?”

The Potions Master grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling away. Harry felt Jasper slide his arms around him, chin propped on his shoulder. “The nutrition potion you should take no more than three times a day with food. The same rules reply for the blood supplement. The bone-strengthening potion I would recommend taking twice a day, once in the morning and once again at night. The topical cream can be applied as needed, if your skin feels tight, rub some in and it should ease the pressure. Nothing in there will be harmful in large doses. The booster potion, no more than once every four hours. It does not need to be taken with a meal.”

“Wonderful, thank you. I once had a trunk that offered an auto-fill function, every time I put a vial back in it would fill and would deduct the funds automatically from my Gringotts account. Do you offer something like that?” Harry couldn’t resist the urge to tangle his fingers with Jaspers that were still wrapped around him.

“Of course.” The woman ducked under the counter, withdrawing a small case which she popped open, placing the vials and tub inside and pressing some of her magic into it. “If you try to take more than the recommended dosage, the vials will not refill until the required amount of time has passed.” She paused, summoning a final vial and slotting it into the case as well. “I have included a pain potion you can take; you cannot take more than one every six hours.” She stuck the parchment on the inside of the lid. “Instructions are on the inside of the case lid in case you forget.”

Harry passed over his Gringotts key and was gifted back the key and the case. With a smile and thanks, the pair left.

“Bookstore next!” Harry dragged the poor vampire into the next store, heading to the pregnancy and child-rearing section to gather together any helpful looking books. His favourite was ‘What to expect when you are expecting a halfling’. Before long, the pair were heading back to the Seattle house.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are fully diverging from the original series here including some new perspectives. I hope you all enjoy! Sorry for the delay in posting.

She lay back on the rich red satin sheets, eyes closed as she imagined him lying with her. The cool fabric caressed her heated skin. Reaching a hand out she fisted her hand in his shirt, bundling it up to bury her nose in. The preservation charm she had cast over it years ago kept the scent fresh. It was grassy and warm, filled with a sense of home and love. In her other hand was grasped her wand, with a flick of her wrist, she summoned her favourite toy, shaped like she imagined he was.

Slipping it within her slick folds, she pressed it deep within. Flicking her wand once more it began fucking into her. Casting her wand aside, she focused on the scents wrapping around her mind, filling herself with him, dreaming and wishing that he was there, that she could have him. She could feel her orgasm rising, building, filling her until she cried out, coming with a rush.

Slumping down, she allowed the high to gently drift away, removing the toy and spelling it clean before sending it back to its home. She took a deep breath of the shirt before also tucking it away under her pillow. She curled up on her side, allowing her mind to drift to her favourite dream, dressed impeccably in a beautiful wedding gown, walking down the aisle on her father's arm. He would be waiting at the end of the aisle, her brother beside him, they would be smiling, happy, perfect.

She was jarred out of her fantasies by her brothers' voice. 

“Ginny! Come here and help with dinner.”

With a huff, she dragged herself from her bed, tugging a t-shirt and some jeans on before heading out to the kitchen of their current hideout. With a groan, she watched as Ron uselessly poked at some potatoes.

“For Merlin’s sake Ron, move!” She exclaimed. 

Pulling out her wand, she began flicking it and all of the vegetables which began peeling themselves, dicing down into chunks and flying into a large pot. She pulled a large hunk of beef from the cold cupboard and with another flick, it began dicing itself. An _aguamenti_ poured water into the vegetable-filled pot, and another flick set the fire going under it. Once the beef was cut up, it too went in the pot and the lid went on. With a huff she rounded on her brother who was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a bottle of butterbeer.

“Will everyone be here for dinner?”

He belched and nodded. “Yeah, the Knights will all be here in the next hour.”

They had been dubbed Dumbledore's Knights by the media as they espoused his beliefs quite vehemently. They had liked the name and so it had stuck

“Ron, nothing we have been doing is working, we need to start coming up with new ideas, something fresh…”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same. I can’t believe Hermione sided with a bloody Death Eater over us. We could really use her right now!”

“We don’t need her Ron. I was going through some of my old school stuff and came across this old book that Dumbledore gave me once. It had rare spells and potions in it, he wanted to make sure I was covered if anything ever went wrong, you know? But I completely forgot about it. Anyway, I began flipping through it and I found something.”

Ron straightened, sitting forward. “Yeah?”

“Well, at the back, tucked in between a couple of pages was a folded parchment with a ritual scribbled on it. From what I can tell, it’s an old ritual to track someone-”

“What?” Ron lurched up. “Get it! Show it to me! We can do it now! I’m willing to try anything. We have to find him.”

“Wait. Ron. It calls for some really weird ingredients, it will take time to get everything. Slow down. I’ll drag out the book for the meeting tonight, but we won’t be able to do anything about it now.”

*****

It took Griphook two days to send them through the information on their new home. Harry trusted the Goblin to find them something perfect, they didn’t have much time to work with anyway. Already Harry’s stomach had softened so he knew that they were running on the vampire timeline, not the wizarding one.

“Jasper,” Harry asked suddenly as they were discussing leaving Seattle for Germany. “Did you want anything from Forks? You had stuff there, is there anything you needed?”

“Well…” The vampire considered the request for a moment. “I have a box of things from my human life, some memento’s that I would like to take I guess, but wouldn’t it be difficult to sneak into a house full of vampires?”

“You know that both times we met for coffee I scoped out the entire café before you even knew I was there,” Harry smirked as Jasper blinked in surprise. “Where is the stuff you want? I can go fetch it quickly and then we can head to Germany.”

Jasper briefly explained and before his eyes, Harry began layering spells over himself, bit by bit the other man disappeared from all of his senses. The wizard vanished with a crack of apparition, appearing in the forest near Jasper’s family's house.

Creeping inside, he slowly made his way towards where Jasper said his room had been.

“I just don’t understand! He is my mate! How can he cope with being away from me for so long?! We belong together! That _thing_ must have done something to him… If he can appear and disappear as he did, that… creature must have… I don’t know, bewitched my Jasper!” Alice’s voice echoed through the ultra-modern space. Harry smirked as he walked up the stairs, keeping an ear out.

“I don’t know Alice, is it possible you are wrong? Jasper seemed pretty adamant, you guys had never been intimate which wouldn’t have been possible if you were mates.” He heard Edward reply.

A screech echoed up the stairs followed by the sound of something cracking. Probably expensive, sounded like stone. By this point, Harry had found Jasper’s room. Floor to ceiling bookshelves covered in books and memorabilia, a sinfully soft rug was on the floor and gorgeous armchairs sat by a wide window. There was no bed (of course) but the furnishings were luxurious without being overstated.

Pulling out the bottomless bag he had grabbed for the trip, he listened to the sounds of the escalating argument below. Casting a one-way silencing charm so that he could hear out, but they couldn’t hear what was going on inside the room, he began shrinking everything and stuffing it into the bag. This was all of Jasper’s things, he was not about to leave any of it behind even if his mate had only asked for a few items. Harry had the ability to ensure the vampire didn’t go without, and it would probably piss off the pixie-haired bint too.

All of Jasper’s clothes were shrunk as well and stuffed into the bag. Soon enough the room was bare of everything but the shelving on the walls, the chandelier on the ceiling and the hardwood floors. With a grin, Harry took down the silencing charm and left. He popped his head into the kitchen to see the massive island slab had been broken and Alice screeching at a disconcerted Edward. With a shrug, Harry darted back outside, finding a quiet spot in the forest to apparate back to Seattle.

*****

The next day, they departed for Germany, arriving on the porch of a small cottage that backed onto a forest. The information packet from Griphook had explained that the little three-bedroom cottage backed onto the eastern side of the Black Forest in the quaint town of Schiltach, the hub of which was a ten-minute drive away. It was picturesque, the little garden at the front rambling and filled with colour, a large grassy area to one side of the property while the forest crouched on the remaining two. There wasn’t another house in sight.

Opening the front door, they walked into a cozy lounge room, the open plan kitchen and dining area to the right. To the back, they could see a hallway which, on investigation, lead to a large master suite on the left. On the right was the other two bedrooms with a second bathroom wedged between. Tucked into the back corner of the house was a small circular room that screamed ‘library’ and Harry was almost bouncing with excitement at the idea of turning it into an office.

Griphook had arranged for basic furniture to be included as they wouldn’t have much ability to travel over the next month, but already Harry was transfiguring the plain pieces into something more tasteful. Jasper only chuckled and began unpacking the bag Harry had given him full of his things. Only expecting the few trinkets he had requested, he was astonished to discover the tiny bag was packed full of everything that had been in his room with the Cullens.

While the house was warded, it was still muggle accessible which meant Harry could set up his laptop in the library and begin ordering online everything they would need for their pending infant. 

Jasper explained how Bella’s baby had been resistant to all methods of imaging and when Harry tried some of the scanning spells, none worked. After a week, Harry had popped, his belly beginning to stretch out.

The pair spent an amusing few days decorating the smallest room, turning it into a nursery for the baby. As they didn’t know the gender, they decided on purple, painting the walls and furniture shades from lilac to violet. Harry took great pleasure in splattering the vampire with half a tin of violet paint when his cutting in had been criticised.

Harry took the recommended dosages for all of the potions as his body struggled to cope with the alarming growth of the foetus. Every evening, Jasper would massage the skin softening balm into his belly before making love to him.

Once the nursery was done, they prepared the guest bedroom for when the healer would arrive, two weeks after they had arrived in Germany.

The healer arrived in a flurry of brusqueness and smiles. Jasper was forever fixing something or helping out somehow. The woman reminded Harry vividly of McGonagall with her steel grey bun and no-nonsense attitude. Somehow the whole thing was softened by her grandmotherly smile. 

She demanded every ounce of information out of Jasper who explained in horrifying detail how Bella had struggled through the pregnancy, ultimately resulting in the baby being torn from the mother’s body as the casing around the womb was too tough for a scalpel to pierce. The woman had scoffed, assuring them they would not be reduced to something so barbaric. Preemptively, Jasper vanished for an evening, returning without explanation and a cooler of blood bags, just in case. Harry simply smiled and thanked the vampire for his forethought.

Each day she chivvied Harry up and out of bed, even with his ever-increasing size, encouraging him to take the potions, to eat what he could and when food would no longer stay down, she began feeding him the blood Jasper had stolen. The next two weeks slid by in agonizing dribs and drabs. Harry’s stomach expanded, riddled with angry red stretch marks, even if Jasper spent most of the day massaging the balm into his skin. Harry could only hope that after the birth, his body would recover.

They discovered that Jasper was able to eat meat once more, though vegetables put him off. Harry took immense pleasure in feeding Jasper different types of meats cooked in a variety of ways, though, Harry himself continued to be Jasper’s favourite. His eyes stayed a red flecked gold that somehow made them warmer than either alone.

*****

"Something isn't right. It's not working the way it's meant to! It should show us, on the map where he is right now!" Ginny whined, hands on her hips with the rest of the Knights gathered around her.

It had taken a few weeks to gather all of the weird ingredients for the ritual. She felt a little bad for killing the unicorn and thestral but whatever, they had to find Harry. She was more annoyed about having to dig into her collection. Sacrificing all the locks of hair she had gathered of her Harry had hurt.

The marker was supposed to glow green, showing where he currently was, instead, they had a grey smudge over Seattle in the USA.

"Well, it's a starting place at least. Maybe he found a way to hide or something?" Seamus offered. Ginny rewarded him with an indulgent smile. They had been on-again, off-again since Hogwarts. What could she say, a girl has needs.

"Well!" Ron clapped his hands together, "Who's keen for a trip to America?"

 *****

Harry continued communicating with Griphook, the other investment properties were now raking in the cash. Weasley Wizarding Wheezes had expanded across to the continent.

The Orphanage had to be upgraded due to overcapacity. With all the drama that Ron and the Knights, as they were known, were creating, Hermione had managed to pass several laws relating to childcare ensuring that once a child showed accidental magic, especially muggle-borns and half-bloods, the ministry would carry out a home visit. They would attend regularly, ensuring that if any magical children were unwanted or being abused, they were removed and placed in the orphanage.

There were still a lot of children who were war orphans, irrespective of blood status, and they had been housed there as well. Draco had started a wizarding primary school, ensuring that no child went to Hogwarts without knowing the basics, muggle and wizarding. Class sizes were exploding at Hogwarts, even without any increase in standard wizarding family birth rates. No longer were children being lost or forgotten.

Harry had Griphook set up a fund to help those who could not afford to pay tuition on their own. He also discussed with the goblin establishing inheritance testing for everyone that entered Gringotts for the first time, as well as routine testing for potions and spells. The goblin grumbled a bit, but Harry assured him that most people would be willing to pay and with the money he was raking in from the investment properties, Harry offered to bridge the gap.


	12. Chapter 12

They were part of the way through the fifth week. Harry’s belly was grotesquely distended, his body emaciated from the struggle of supporting the growing child. While the potions and the blood had kept him functioning, the strain on his body was immense.

He could no longer move around easily, and this particular morning, he couldn’t bring himself to get out of bed, even with Jasper trying to help. The baby was rolling violently, attempting to stretch out, tiny hands and feet obscene as they pressed against his skin from the inside. The healer bustled in, taking the scene in and clicked her tongue.

“It is time.” The woman stated, flicking her wand and levitated Harry up, Jasper hovered nervously as the woman banished the bedding to the side of the room, laying down spells to prevent their bed from being ruined.

Harry felt his limbs stick to the bed, preventing him from thrashing. He knew that a pain potion wouldn't be able to be administered until after the birth. He knew that he had to remain absolutely still while the healer cut him open to free their baby from his body. Fear washed over him at the sense of hopelessness building. Instead of thinking about his inability to move and the risks they were taking, he turned his mind inward. Focusing instead on controlling his magic, ensuring that it didn’t lash out in response to his fear. 

He can barely feel Jaspers cool hand sliding into his own. He was too busy, wrapped up in the excruciating burning pain cutting across his lower abdomen. His pained cries fill the room before he finally allows darkness to claim him.

*****

Jasper watched in horror as his mate’s blood streamed forth from the wound the healer is carving with her wand. He suppressed the almost pavlovian response he has to the scent of blood. The woman was frowning to herself, muttering, spells slipping out in between her cutting into his mate. He had to suppress the need to kill the woman for hurting Harry.

He watched, morbidly curious as the woman laid her wand to the side and slipped her hand inside Harry. Blood and other fluids coat her as she gently reached in to pry the infant free. It is only a matter of moments before she lays the child to the side, reaching in once more to remove the placenta. The cord is clamped, and Jasper is beckoned over. The infant is tiny, bundled up in a small blanket and blinking at him with wide dark blue eyes.

The healer is once again muttering spells over Harry and Jasper can only watch in amazement as all the blood and other fluids are cleaned up, the wounds are healed and the distended belly shrunken to something closer to normal.

“The cream that you were applying should help with the scarring. Have him continue taking the prenatal potion for the next week at the lowest recommended dosage. After that, he will be fine. Now all you have to do is figure out how to look after the child.” She gestures to the infant still blinking up at him. “Allow Harry to wake in his own time. My bill has already been settled by Gringotts.”

With that, the woman strides from the room. He can hear her pottering around, gathering her things and eventually leaving. Jasper can’t help but reel a little, it had all happened so fast. He went from being alone to having a pregnant mate to holding a child in his arms. Sighing, he tucked the baby into Harry’s arms for a moment, smiling softly as they tighten automatically. Gathering up the bedding from the corner of the room, he threw the duvet across the bed and climbed in, snuggling Harry and their new baby against his chest.

*****

They struggled through the first week. Alazne Potter-Whitlock was growing exponentially, just like the pregnancy. Jasper worried even though he remembered Bella’s spawn, Harry was confident that magic had a plan. Just like Harry had once dreamed, Alazne had honey blonde hair and wide blue eyes that were slowly darkening to green. The parents were besotted with all the tiny toes and fingers, the pale creamy skin and chubby tummy.

Their little baby boy was insatiably hungry, consuming obscene amounts to support the rapid growth his tiny body was experiencing. They quickly realised that like Jasper, Alazne was not interested in human food, instead preferring to consume their remaining supplies of blood bags. While they found Harry’s blood would suffice, he would struggle to feed his child and mate so instead, Harry apparated to the Magischer Bezirk in Stuttgart.

The local branch of Honeydukes had a full range of blood products that were suitable for vampires and after purchasing a bit of everything, he returned to a crying baby and a distressed mate. A blood pop for the baby and a feed for his mate later and things began settling down.

*****

The next time Griphook called, a month later, he advised that many of the old bloodlines had been revived in Muggle-borns. They had, of course, discovered that they were from defunct squib lines and so many of the old vaults that were sitting unused and collecting interest were being dusted off and revitalised. With the consistent testing for potions, binds and spells on all their clients, there was a rash of divorces and disinheritances.

All of a sudden, Dumbledore's Knights lost momentum. Draco and Hermione were having more success cleaning up the corruption remaining within the ministry. Where Ron lost, Hermione gained, much to Harry’s amusement. Something in him was happy that his old friend was succeeding, that she was cleaning up the wizarding world where he couldn’t. That she and Draco were showing their world that prejudice no longer had a place.

*****

"Alice? Maybe it's time to let Jasper go? I don't think he's coming back." Edward offered hesitantly. 

It had been almost two months since Jasper had left with the odd human. He was worried for his brother, but couldn't help but agree that it seemed unlikely that Alice was his mate. He was beginning to realise that perhaps none of them were truly mated. With how fast Jasper had joined with Harry, he wondered whether Bella was meant to be with him. Now that she had been turned, he felt no pull, no desire to be near her. He almost felt the same way about her as he did for Rosalie. Perhaps she had just been his singer and he shouldn't have tortured himself, instead just drained her and be done with it.

Irrespective of his doubts, they had a wonderful daughter together and until such a time as he came across his true mate, he would be faithful and dedicated to his wife and child.

He was brought out of his musing by Alice shrieking at him once again. Going off on another rant about Jasper being her mate, how they belonged together. Suddenly she froze, staring off into the distance. 

A vision! 

Alice had been trying to force a vision of Jasper but something was blocking her, like with the shifters. Edward closed his eyes, allowing the vision to play out in his mind as well. 

There were two redheads, probably a brother and sister by their similar features. There was also a short man with pale skin and brown hair with them. They had been doing some kind of ritual and at the end, agreed to come to Seattle. 

She jerked, coming out of it. "Yes! They are coming, they will help us find Jasper, they will take away the thief!"

Edward had to suppress a groan. This was not going to end well at all… He wasn’t sure who these people were, perhaps they were like Harry. They seemed to have some way of tracking, which Alice would probably use to try and find Jasper. Because after all, if they really were a mated pair, where Jasper was, Harry would be. Edward could only hope that he had the chance to get to Jasper before the others, so maybe he would have a chance to warn them.

*****

The illegal portkey roughly deposited the trio in an abandoned alley in the heart of Seattle. They startled a feral cat which yowled loudly and bolted from the detritus littered space. Ron patted his hip where the pouch filled with all the money they could scrounge was. He glanced over to make sure that Seamus still had his backpack on which held their tent and supplies. They had limited funds, so needed to be smart as they hunted.

His quarry had eluded him for years. It was frustrating having so much support only to have it ripped away. That bitch Hermione, he had once thought to marry the stupid bint, had stolen his power and his spotlight. He couldn’t believe that she had shacked up with Malfoy of all people, the bloody Death Eater. He knew at some point the lies would come out and Hermione would come crawling back to him. Malfoy was always a bad egg and no matter how hard he tried, the stains would never wash clean. The bastard was Dark after all. Nothing could change that.

The trio paced out of the alleyway, Ginny holding the map which, when they had landed had magically zoomed in so that they could see faint traceries around the city and a large blob closer to the edge. As the spell couldn’t latch onto the Dark One’s current location, it seemed to show the most recent movements, the older they were, the more faded the lines. Seattle had the densest concentration when they left Britain so that was where they came. Now that they were here, they could get a little closer to locating where he frequented. 

Ron hoped that they could pick up a thread of magic, something, to follow. They had all their books on tracking and binding so they would be prepared whenever they found the Dark One.

His mind hissed and roiled at the thought. He knew that with the Dark One unbound by the Weasley family, it would run riot and destroy the world. It was simply biding its time. Dumbledore had warned them before his death. Warned them of the corruption that lay within, that Potter would need to die or otherwise the Dark One would be released. 

He had hoped when Potter disappeared after the battle he was just taking some time to grieve, and so they searched. But as time went on, the horrifying knowledge that Potter was dead and the Dark One ruled sunk in.

Dumbledore had told them that they needed to bind Potter as soon as possible after the battle, that too long without the bindings would open him up to the corruption. It had been too long though. The corruption would have taken over and nothing of the boy he went to school with would remain. Instead, only Darkness would exist, waiting for those who knew how to defeat him to die, taking the knowledge with them, before it took over the world.

They could not allow that to happen, could not permit darkness to reign. It was their duty to ensure that the light prevailed. That was their mission, Dumbledore's Knights, to ensure that light prevailed, no matter the cost.

After all, it was all for the greater good.

*****

Edward watched Alice as she bounced with pent up energy. He had gone with her to Seattle where they were supposed to be meeting some people who would help them find Jasper. There was a twisting in his gut that he was trying desperately to ignore. Unfortunately, there was something about this whole situation that rankled his instincts.

Suddenly the three he had seen in the vision rounded the corner they were waiting by and Alice blurred over to them, completely ignoring their hostile stances. Edward moved to them cautiously, the female redhead’s eyes snapped to him when he unconsciously began scanning her mind. He felt a violent shove and he was suddenly blocked. She glared ferociously.

The redhead male's mind was a tangled ball of string, thoughts jumping violently around, fixating on hunting for some dark creature and following the last wishes of a grandfatherly looking man. 

The brunette's mind was more still but made him want to gag. Image after image of the redhead female naked and in the throes of passion flickered by. There was an obsessive edge to everything that made him deeply uncomfortable.

Alice, in her usual fashion, immediately began gushing at the trio. "You're here! I saw you coming, of course, knew you would arrive, knew that you could take us to him. he's stolen my mate but we don't know where they have gone."

The redhead females eyes turned sly as she shouldered her presumed brother aside. "You saw us coming? You are a seer? You know who we seek?"

"Yes! If you help us find Jasper, you'll find your thief, the one you seek. Come with us to our home, the family will help."

"Alice!" Edward cut in. "You can't just invite these strangers over, it's not safe! We don't know who they are or what their intentions are."

"What if we met in a more neutral location? We don't know the area well, so you could suggest somewhere we could meet." The redhead female replied without hesitating.

Edwards suspicions grew, what people agreed to meet in an unknown and unfamiliar location? They hadn't even volunteered their names yet, had not even said what they wanted. Alice didn't seem to care though.

"I know the perfect place, a park nearby. Edward, call the family and have them come as soon as possible. Tell Rosalie to bring the jewellery box on my dresser."

He watched in horror as Alice darted forward, tucking the other girl's arm in hers and began dragging her off in the direction of the park. 

With a heavy sigh, Edward withdrew his phone to begin calling his family. They would be here in an hour or so, depending on how much Rosalie bitched and moaned. He traipsed along behind the pair of chattering women, the two men flanking him. The brunette was watching curiously as he dialled and called Carlisle. 

Once he got off the phone, he glanced at the other two.

"I'm Edward, and you are?" he queried politely.

"Ron." the redhead grunted, his mind still skittering about like oil on a hotplate.

"Seamus." 

"Who's the chick?” He queries when the conversation falls flat.

“Ginny, my sister. So back off.” Ron practically hissed.

Edward can’t help but wonder whether the brother is aware that the sister has, at the very least, slept with Seamus. He got a weird possessive tint to the redheads' thoughts and mentally shuddered.

Not soon enough, they reach the park and Edward hung back, waiting for the rest of the Cullen Clan to turn up. Alice is still chattering away with Ginny and he picks up flashes of Alice’s obsession, her mind filled with Jasper. The longer the situation goes on, the more uncomfortable he is becoming.

Time trickled by, Ron, Seamus and himself standing quietly while Ginny and Alice entertain themselves. Eventually, he hears Carlisle’s distinctive mind pattern and calls out to his sister.

“Alice, they will be here in a minute.”

She waved him away, then, Emmett blurred into the park, stopping near Edward and giving him a shove in welcome. Rosalie appears next in a flurry of blonde hair with Carlisle, Esme and Bella bringing up the rear.

“Now that we are all here, we can get started yes?” Alice asked, peering at Ginny like she was the second coming of Christ.

He watched Ginny smirk, before looking to her brother. “Ron, the ritual.”

The redhead rolled his eyes, extracting the ritual book and the bag of supplies they had brought in the hopes of trying again when they were closer. Ginny brought over the map and laid it out on the ground while Ron set everything up. It was weird and witchy and entirely disconcerting. Within minutes, there was a mini altar set up with herbs and blood that smelt rancid. Alice bounded over with the box in her hands, extracting from it a hank of hair that looked remarkably like Jaspers. His gut clenched, yeah that was obsession, not love, not mating. That was just plain weird. Glancing around, he could see that Esme looked disconcerted but other than that everyone was eager or impatient.

The trio took up positions around the map, producing wooden sticks which, thinking about it, were probably wands if this shit was to be believed. They began chatting in Latin until Ginny dropped the hair into a bowl and poured the contents over the world map they had laid out. The dark viscous liquid immediately spread out to cover the page before drawing back in on itself, eventually beading over an edge of the Black Forest in Germany.


	13. Chapter 13

Ginny had felt it as soon as that creature tried to slip into her mind. After being possessed by Tom Riddle in her first year at Hogwarts, she had taught herself Occlumency so that, should anyone try again, she would be able to keep them out or at least know they were invading.

The creature had had all the subtlety of a brick being thrown at a glasshouse. She had slammed down her shields, before turning to make nice with the female. Her instincts said that they were the key to finding her Harry, and she had been right.

Her skin had crawled when more of them had arrived, but she could deal with anything if it meant getting her Harry back. Thankfully, the ritual had worked again, this time using the creature that apparently belonged with the family… coven… whatever. The female had assured her that her Harry would be with the creature they were trying to locate.

She had pushed, prior to their departure for Germany, the importance of resupplying. Alice seemed to know that they were having a hard time financially and handed over a wad of American cash for them to use. She then apparated to the nearest magical community to buy what they needed, ensuring she picked up some Occluding potions for Ron and Seamus.

Seamus prepared a portkey for them all to take which should dump them near some random German town on the edge of the Black Forest. She didn't really care where they went as long as it was closer to her Harry. The others seemed to be ready and waiting for them so, once she was bookended by the boys, she held out the quill that was their emergency portkey and instructed the others to grab on.

It was a tight squeeze and when Seamus activated the portkey, the ride was uncomfortable, their shoulders smacking into each other. They crashed into a green field at the edge of a forest, everyone going down in a pile.

Scrambling to her feet, Ginny yanked out the map, unfolding it quickly and tapping it to zoom in. 

She screeched in frustration. 

The grey blob completely covered the town they were in, including the edge of the forest. 

*****

Everyone jerked around to look at Ginny as the map was crumpled in her fists. Edward watched, bemused, as Seamus reached over and gently extracted it, patting her hand before smoothing it out.

“Ah.” He commented, intelligently.

“What?!” Alice snapped.

“It seems that this is as close as magic can get us, the tracking spell can’t get a more accurate reading than them being somewhere around Schiltach. They must have wards up to prevent tracking locally. We were lucky to get this far really.” He replied mildly.

Edward had to admit, he was impressed that someone could be so calm in the presence of a vampire about to fly into a rage.

“Perhaps we should split up, search the area.” Edward offered. He had to get away somehow, had to find a way to warn them. "It won't take us long if we grid the area and search methodically."

Immediately, Esme stepped forward, peering at the map. "Excellent idea Edward. Perhaps we can search along the forest edge while others divvy up the town." She offered.

There was considerable arguing, Ron was entirely unwilling to allow Ginny to go off alone with any of them. In the end, Ginny, Ron and Alice were Team A, who elected to search the town centre; Seamus, Emmett and Rosalie were Team B, who elected to search the settlements to the south; Bella and Carlisle were Team C, who elected to search the towns to the west; and Edward, Reneesme and Esme were Team D managed to convince everyone that there was little chance anyone would be by the forest so asked to take that area. 

Secretly, the pair knew it was the most likely spot to find the couple. Ren, as she preferred to be called, was old enough to understand and could also see the madness that seemed to be growing in the family.

Everyone split off, and once Edward was far enough away, he turned to his mother. "There is something very wrong with this."

The woman who had looked after him for the past hundred years nodded sadly. "Alice seems to have lost her mind and the newcomers smell wrong. We have to get to Jasper and warn him what is coming. I don't care who this Harry is, but he doesn't deserve whatever is coming to him."

They nodded and set off. They had limited time to work with, so needed to search quickly, but also needed to make sure nothing would be missed.

*****

Days slipped into weeks, weeks slipped into months. Harry and Jasper settled into a routine with their new baby who, at the three-month mark was no longer a baby at all but was happily crawling around their German cottage. Developmentally, Alazne seemed to be closer to a one-year-old and relished keeping the pair of immortals on their toes. The days were filled with laughter and frustration as they attempted to balance any semblance of a life with being parents.

Harry checked in with Griphook and the news was mixed. Ron and a few key Knights had vanished off the face of the earth, Ginny included. The Weasleys had begun searching for them instead of searching for Harry. 

For a little while, the world rested and so did they. No longer was the threat of the light wingers immediate, their disappearance was concerning, but as yet, they were successfully hidden from the world, tucked away by their little corner of the Black Forest.

Hermione and Draco had pretty much finished cleaning out the corruption in the government, establishing new, more modern practices to ensure it didn’t happen again. Griphook assured him that the wizarding world looked vastly different than what it once was. While Harry was willing to acknowledge the possibility, he was not willing to risk his family on people who had never really cared about him in the first place.

*****

As the days slipped into weeks for the hunting party, the frantic edge of their searching increased. They had checked over every inch of Schiltach and the surrounds, but could not find even a hint of Jasper or Harry.

The wizards, as Edward found out they were, even went to the nearest magical village in Stuttgart to see if there was any evidence of either Harry or Jasper there, but unfortunately, they were hiding too well.

After a month of fruitless searching, Ginny tried the ritual once more, using another hank of hair Alice had and, while there were some darker grey smudges on the map, there was nothing to really indicate where the vampire was currently.

Edward took to patrolling the edge of the forest, hoping to stumble across some hint, some clue that his brother was near. Occasionally he thought he caught a whiff of a scent, but whenever he tried to follow it, it faded before he could discover the source.

The worst part was, every time they had a meeting, Edward and Esme would be forced to listen in silence while Ron would spew vitriol about something he called the Dark One. It took a couple of sessions for the pair to realise he was referring to the mysterious Harry. They were horrified to see no one else was concerned over the wizard's behaviour, Ginny even looked bored while he spoke.

The male redhead explained about how their friend from school had been tainted as a baby and their family had been charged with ensuring that the taint didn't take over their friend before he reached his maturity at 17. He detailed the bindings they were supposed to place once the old Dark Lord had been defeated but the boy had escaped. Ron bemoaned that they had given the boy a little time to grieve, but when he never returned, they began hunting him, knowing their friend was dead and the darkness within had taken over.

Esme and Edward were unable to speak as the pair were rarely allowed to separate from their mates for long. Instead, Edward listened to Esme's mounting horror that Carlisle would agree with the wizards' actions and quickly became convinced that all of the mateships currently set up in the Cullen family were a lie. Edward shared her feelings and instead of devoting his time to Bella, he focused instead on his daughter.

Esme and Edward had to suppress their amusement when six weeks in, Carlisle tried to call in the other covens as they did when the Volturi attacked. Unfortunately, the reception was less than warm. It had been less than a year since they had all gathered together and this time, it wasn't even anything to do with the vampire government, it was just Jasper going off on his own. When Carlisle made the mistake of mentioning that Jasper had claimed to find his mate, even the Denali clan hung up on him.

After the initial day, Edward was unable to read the two wizards thoughts, not that he wanted to, he always felt like he needed a hot shower to scrub the crazy off when he caught a fragment here and there. He had never caught anything off the witch, her mind was locked tightly to him. While Bella felt like static, almost like the wrong channel on a TV, there was a titanic wall around Ginny's mind.

The boys though, it seemed like there was something keeping him out, but occasionally it would wear down and he could get a glimpse of madness, obsession, and then a couple of hours later, the cracks would be gone again. While he was glad he didn't have to deal with their madness all the time, the few glimpses he got convinced him that the three were lying and did not have good intentions to Harry or any of them.

As they were creeping up on the two-month mark of their search, Edward made the choice to reach out to the Volturi, to warn them of what was going on.

He explained about Jasper and his mate, about the madness that seemed to be descending on the Cullen clan and his concerns about the wizards that were helping them. Marcus offered their assistance and asylum for Edward, Esme and Ren, in exchange they would need to give ten years of their lives in service to the guard. The three managed to discuss the deal and agreed it was the best they could expect considering the trouble they had caused the Volturi before. After all, when you are immortal, what was ten years?

Caius agreed to come to their aid with a contingent of the Guard and advised he would arrive in a week.

*****

Esme had a growing sense of trepidation as Edward left to go collect Caius and his guard from the nearest airport so he could guide them to where they were hiding out. Alice had been getting jittery and had decided she wanted to explore along the forest edge where she and Edward had been patrolling. Immediately, Esme volunteered to go with her, using the excuse of being familiar with the area to ease the way.

The pair set out and Esme hoped for an opportunity to text Edward what was going on.

Her chance arose about half an hour in, they had been roaming along the edge of the forest, venturing a little deeper into the woods but generally trying to inspect the properties in the area. Alice was digging through a heavily forested plot and was distracted enough so Esme could pull out her phone.

_Edward, I am with Alice inspecting the forest's edge. I am worried she has Seen something. Find me if you can._

When Esme turned back, she realised Alice had snatched up a little boy.

"Alice!" She cried, fear spiking through her. "What are you doing?!" Esme blurred over, trying to figure out how to extract the child from Alice's arms.

"He smells like Jasper! He knows where Jasper is, I can feel it!" Alice's eyes were wild and the child squirmed in her too tight grip.

"Alice, honey, will you put him down, let me talk to him." Esme tried to reason.

Alice glared, sinking down into a crouch so the child could stand on its own, but she wrapped her hand around his wrist so he couldn't escape. Esme crouched down so she was on the same level as the little boy and took a moment to look him over properly.

He had honey blonde hair and wide, light green eyes. When she inhaled, she could smell Jasper and something else, something that tickled on the edge of her memory.

"Hello little one, what is your name." She asked softly.

"'Zane," He replied quietly, leaning away from the grip Alice had on his wrist.

"Hello Zane, my name is Esme. Do you live around here?" She kept her voice quiet, trying to soothe the distressed boy.

He nodded. "I was playing hide and seek with papa. Daddy always warned me to not go outside the lines but I did and now you caught me." His eyes were beseeching her to help him.

"Can you tell me their names, Zane?" She asked.

"Jasper and Harry." He whispered and her eyes widened. Before she could try to go any further with the conversation, Alice screeched and snatched the boy back up.

"No! Jasper is my mate! He can't have a child with someone else, let alone a man! No!"

Esme's cold dead heart was in her mouth, watching in horror as Alice shook the little boy. He began crying loudly, calling out for his parents.

Everything went to hell in those next few seconds.

Jasper and Harry appeared, full of fury at seeing Zane in Alice's clutches.

Edward blurred up, Caius and ten of his guards in tow.

Emmett blurred in in the next second.

"Give me my son back." Harry demanded, voice low and cold.

"Daddy!" Zane cried, reaching frantically for the man.

"Alice! Put him down and we can talk!" Jasper begged.

Alice snarled, preparing to deny them all when Esme saw Zane's attention shift to the insane vampire. Alice froze and her whole body shuddered when their eyes locked.

Slowly, jerkily, like she was resisting some power that was stronger than she ever fathomed, Alice bent over and put the toddler on the ground. Her arms trembled as she fought not to release him, her face a rictus of rage. Pale green eyes did not waver from hers until finally, her hands released him.

Once he had enough wriggle room, she once more froze solid as he turned and ran to Harry who snatched him up. Esme watched, fascinated, as Harry danced his fingers over the little boy, a furrow on his brow. The next moment, a green film coated Zane, except for orange smudges along his ribs.

Rage washed over Harry's face for a moment before he smoothed his expression out and smiled at the boy. 

"Alazne honey, I need you to go back over the ward line. I would ask you to go inside the house but I know you won't. So you can watch from the other side of the wards ok?" 

Astonishingly, he set the boy down, who toddled off towards the empty field behind their group and vanished between one step and the next. Harry continued watching the boy they could no longer see. Once he was satisfied, he pointed his finger towards where the boy had disappeared and commanded him. "Stay."

Nodding firmly, he turned back to the group with rage in his eyes. Esme looked briefly at Jasper, who had been standing quietly by the whole time. Glancing around she could see that the rest of their group had arrived, including the wizards. Caius was watching with mild curiosity. Edward was worried, body tense and ready to dive in. The rest of the Cullens seemed to fall somewhere between angry and confused. The wizards were a worry, the girl looked hungrily at Harry, Ron's face was filled with hate, wand trembling in his hand. The quiet boy was watching as everything played out, apparently apathetic at this point.

Harry rounded on Alice after taking stock of the situation. "You touched my son you crazy bitch. You are going to regret that."

She shuddered one final time and the force that had been holding her failed. "You took what was mine! You stole Jasper! He is my mate, you don't deserve him!" she spat and before anyone could move, she darted forward, reaching hands out to his head and twisted.

There was a loud crunching sound of Harry’s spine snapping and when she let go, his body crumpled to the ground.

Alice's satisfaction was cut short when Ginny screeched in rage and began casting furiously at Alice. Most of the spells bounced off her hardened skin when finally, the little witch cast _incendio_. Suddenly, Alice was burning, screaming in pain.

All of the vampires’ present took a wary step back. None were willing to risk themselves to save her. 

Alice fell to her knees, reaching desperately for Jasper. "My love, help me!" She begged.

He sneered; Esme had never seen such a hateful expression on his face. "Never. You are just the stupid bitch who hurt my son and killed my mate. Burn in hell."


	14. Chapter 14

Jasper was enraged. Alice had turned up, hurt Alazne, killed Harry and now she asked him for help? He was sure Harry would come back, pretty sure anyway. He was the Master of Death, something as simple as a snapped neck couldn't keep him down.

He couldn't worry about Harry now, he had to deal with the shit show he was facing. Edward was standing with Caius and the guard; Esme was making her way towards them and away from the rest of the Cullens. He could see Renesemee at the back of the Volturi guard and felt relief that she, at least, should remain out of this dispute.

Looking at his former family, he could almost see the madness clinging to them. Carlise, Rosalie, Emmett and Bella were joined by three humans holding wands. Taking in their features, he recognised two of them from Harry's photos from the wizarding world. The youngest Weasleys and probably another year mate of theirs.

He could see a clear gap between the two groups and couldn’t help but feel mildly amused by it. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see through the protective wards to where Alazne was sitting on the ground, firmly stuck with Harry’s sticking charm, and pouting.

The redheaded girl was sobbing and tried to run forwards, apparently intending on throwing herself on Harry’s body. Her emotions were a horrendous, maddening tangle that he didn’t even want to begin trying to deal with. Jasper blurred over Harry, placing himself between the redhead and his mate. She ran smack bang into his chest and before anyone else could respond, he tangled one hand in her loose red hair, grasping her upper arm with the other. 

Jasper tugged her head to the side and without second-guessing, sank his fangs into her throat and sucked deeply. She tasted awful. After spending the last few months drinking exclusively from Harry, he found the taste of this witches blood entirely unappealing. Just as the girls' brother was jerking his wand up, the brunet not far behind, Jasper extracted his fangs, licking his lips lasciviously. 

He watched as they both cast at him, moving the body in his arms, he used her to block both spells. She jerked and more blood leaked from the vicious wounds in her throat.

“You should have let him go,” he whispered in her ear as she died in his arms. “When he ran you should have stopped looking for him.”

In the moments while he was distracted taunting the dying girl, Esme had darted over to where the wizards were standing and ripped the heart out of the redheaded male. Edward was there a moment later, ripping the throat out of the last wizard.

Jasper watched curiously, not feeling an ounce of hunger or desire for the pooling blood. He could see that the Cullens were struggling, fighting the urge to sink into the rich redness that was starting to seep into the earth.

Emmett succumbed, practically throwing himself on the brunet boy to drain what was left in the corpse. He sneered and turned towards where Caius was. The vampire lord was watching with amusement; his guard barely paying any attention, instead, chatting amongst themselves.

“Caius, welcome. Who invited you to this little gathering?” He inquired politely.

“Edward, he has grown concerned about the Cullen clan. Particularly Alice and her obsession. He explained everything that has been happening and we understood his worries. I volunteered to come with a few of the guards to offer our assistance.

“Thank you for your assistance. I have a worrying discovery to report. I believe that the continued consumption of animal blood by vampires seems to cause madness. Now that I have been consuming human blood regularly, it is almost like a haze has been lifted from my mind. Everything is clearer, sharper, better. I feel like myself again. Alice was under the insane belief that she and I were mates, even though we were never intimate. I met my mate Harry, and while I spent a while chasing him down, once we spent a little time together, the drive to consummate our union was unstoppable.” Jasper could hear the other Cullen vampires squabbling. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Edward and Esme making their way over to stand at his shoulders.

Caius blinked. “You are remarkably calm in the face of your mates' death, most vampires lose control and destroy everything in their path.”

Jasper chuckled. “Harry isn’t your usual human. He will be fine.” The vampire could already feel their bond strengthening as Harry returned to the land of the living.

“This theory about madness in vegetarian vampires,” The blonde sneered heavily at the term, “Do you have any supporting evidence?”

“Not really, I know that my head felt clearer than it had in fifty years when I bonded with Harry. I spent a lot of time with the Cullens struggling against my nature. I now realise it is futile and unnecessary. There are alternative solutions to the consumption of animal blood and the starvation of our selves.”

Caius turned to Esme who was happily licking the blood from her hand. “How do you feel about this pronouncement?”

“Once a month I would steal a blood bag from a hospital and consume it in secret,” Esme explained. “If you don’t consume a whole human’s worth and consume animal blood the rest of the time, your eyes don’t turn red. Carlisle never knew.”

Edward laughed heartily. “I’m glad I wasn’t the only one doing that. I noticed the same when I went on my binge years ago, but Carlisle guilted me into going back on the family diet, but I couldn’t go all the way back. I guess we now have some evidence of the truth because I’m pretty sure those nutters haven’t tasted human blood in a long time, if ever.” He jerked his thumb back to where the Cullen clan were fighting over the corpses. Bella had grabbed the redheaded girl and dragged her over to the others, attempting to drain what was left in the corpse.

Suddenly, they heard a loud snapping noise and a groan. Jasper grinned as Harry stood, shadows gathering around him like a cloak in the deepening gloom, a scythe appeared in one hand.

Without a word, he strode over to the feasting vampires. Grasping Bella by the hair, he yanked her off Ginny and sliced her head clean through at the throat. Tossing her head away, he moved onto Rosalie, who was crouching over Ginny’s thigh. He repeated the gesture with Emmett who was still devouring Seamus and Carlisle who had his face halfway into Ron’s chest cavity. They were too distracted, too busy feeding to notice that death had come on swift wings.

“Who the fuck kills someone in front of their kid? Who the fuck tries to steal someone’s mate? Seriously, they smelt crazy, it was oozing all over them. I have no fucking idea how they survived so Merlin damned long, but come on!” Harry ranted, struggling to shuck his robes where they clung to his legs, they were so heavy with blood. Frustrated, he jammed the scythe into the ground and began tearing off the robe before he made his way over to the group.

Jasper smiled at him fondly and leaned down to press a kiss to Harry’s lips. The wizard immediately pulled away, glaring. “You taste like crazy. Who did you eat?” He demanded.

“After Alice killed you, the red-headed female attempted to throw herself, weeping, at your body. I stood in her way and killed her. Everything just kind of went from there.” Jasper gestured to the pile of slaughtered bodies. 

Harry laughed, cuddling up against Jasper. 

Everyone was deeply relieved that everything had been resolved. Harry burnt the bodies so that the disappeared like dust on the wind, never to be seen again. They spent some time chatting with Caius and his guard. Jasper reconnected with his mother, brother and niece. They even introduced everyone to Alazne who immediately took to Caius, talking his ear off about everything and nothing, much to the blonde vampires' bewilderment.

Eventually, they all had to go, with Edward, Esme and Ren, as she preferred to be called, going with the Volturi guard without a fuss. Harry, Jasper and Alazne retreated to their home to heal and relax. For the first time in too long, Harry didn’t have to worry about being hunted.

*****

It was their little baby boy’s first birthday. In the past six months, much had changed for the little family.

Harry was no longer hunted by the wizarding world, Jasper was no longer hunted by the Cullen clan. Edward, Esme and Ren were all that remained of the vegetarian vampires and the three had taken to living with the Volturi well. The three Cullens were contracted to serve ten years in their guard and while their aid had not really been needed in the end, they embraced the opportunity to explore life as a true vampire. They all expressed joy over having some stability while they explored what their lives were going to look like from now on.

Through Griphook, Harry had finally reached out to the Twins and Hermione. Those three had never betrayed him and none of them seemed overly bothered when confirmation came through that the two youngest Weasleys and Seamus were dead. Molly had, of course, lost her mind with grief and had to be admitted to the Janus Thickey Ward at St Mungo’s. No one missed her either. Harry had been diligently corresponding with his old friends and had invited them to join him for their special celebration.

So here they all were. Caius, Edward, Esme, Ren and Dmitry were in their back-yard chatting with Fred, George, Hermione and Draco. Harry and Jasper were setting up the decorations, determined to spoil their little mischief maker. Cake, presents and laughter filled the day as they ran and played.

Alazne had not presented magical as yet, but occasionally, Harry could feel odd cold spots, strange echoes around the child, almost whispers that tickled at his memory. While their little boy was inherently magical as a hybrid, Harry was unsure whether he would have a magical core and if he did, whether it would keep up with his accelerated growth.

Aging so rapidly would make it difficult to manage a magical core and learning how to handle the constant influx of new magic with not enough time to learn was… concerning to imagine. Occasionally, he thought back to that moment when Alice had put Alazne down, how odd her behaviour had been, how fixated Alazne had been on her while it had happened. But it had never happened again, so he tried not to worry too much.

After all, whatever came next, they would face together, as a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so this one is done! I left the ending open, I and Besiegen had some ideas on a sequel but nothing has been written yet. Thanks for coming along for the ride! And another, massive thanks to my muse and beta Besiegen.


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